Kyle tread carefully along the bowsprit. The rocking of the boat was only a drop in the bucket against his own perpetual swaying. In his hand he clutched a silver necklace with a jade pendant that had been snatched by a rather tie dyed seagull. He lost his grip on the necklace, and slipped off of the wooden post. He caught a stay with his knee, and stretched his neck, catching the thin chain of the necklace with his two front feet.1
He glanced over and noticed a fish hook hanging next to him. He put the chain around the hook and it raised up onto the deck. "No help for me zen I guess?" he shouted.2
"No Kyle, you were the one who got it lost in the first place, this is your punishment," Aneko shouted down to him.3
Kyle pulled himself up and reached for a bit of net stretched across the hull of the ship. He climbed up to the deck where a pair of hands helped pull him over the rail. "I knew you vould come around," he gasped.4
"I'm not sure what you mean," replied the officer. He was the same man that had confronted Kyle in the alleyway.5
"Lieutenant! Vat are you doing here?"6
"I have a letter for you."7
"Who is it from?"8
"That does not matter, follow its instructions."9
"How did you beat us here? Ve only recently changed our course."10
"We have our ways of finding people mister Smith."11
Kyle shrugged and read the letter:12
'The plan has changed, kill him at high sea, sink the ship, ensure that no one links it to us. Ensure that you secure the eye.'13
Kyle reread it, "Hold on a moment. Ze ship vas," the lieutenant was gone. "Vell never mind zen."14
Roger came strolling up the dock toward Kyle, "Kyle! Who in the hell was that?"15
Kyle shrugged, "Messenger from a former employer."16
"He seemed like he was in a hurry to leave," commented Roger, "There isn't going to be any trouble is there?"17
"No, just giving me a new offer, I turned it down of course, I have much bigger sings on my bowl."18
"Yes my plate as well. Speaking of which, why do you have such an interest in bringing down the Golden Gall?"19
"Roger, I'm a German pirate in contested colonial vatter, occasionally helping out ze Brits, does anysing I do make sense? But if you must know, money, and living. Ze Spanish are decidedly bad for my vell being, and my purse."20
"I can believe that," Roger turned away and then turned back, "Oh, by the way, get some sleep, you'll be supervising the guard tonight."21
Kagami and Aneko sat in a restaurant drinking tea, and watching the ships in the harbor. The Jolly Roger was nestled between two of her majesty’s ships. Workers moved about like ants on the docks, carrying cargo to and from the warehouse as captains and port managers argued over tariffs.22
Out on the horizon, barely visible, several ships sailed in a formation. With the steadily calming air, it looked as though the ships would not arrive until the next day.23
Finished with their tea, the twins set down their cups and a few schillings, leaving a generous tip, and walked down the road to look at flowers.24
When they were done, they meandered back to the ship and settled down in their room.25
Kyle was just getting up as they returned. He stood in the cramped passenger hallway reading something.26
"Good evening mister Smith," they said in unison.27
"Who goes zere!" He jumped back, brandishing a fork and jamming the sheet of paper into a small hole in the wood. The paper stuck out awkwardly, hardly hidden at all.28
"What are you doing mister Smith?" Kagami asked with a little concerned confusion.29
"I vas just filling zis hole and I needed to read ze instructions, just ah yes," he pulled out the sheet and tore it up.30
"That will be hard to read," commented Aneko.31
"Oh, vell, you need to..." he trailed off, looking blankly at them. Suddenly he crumpled up the paper shreds and shoved them into his mouth. "Ahahahahaha. Oopf. Belder go ged dse carbender."32
He pushed past them.33
"Kagami?"34
"Yes Aneko?"35
"You were wondering why your weirdness magnet hadn't been acting up?"36
"Now I wonder how it's surviving. I also wonder why he's carrying a prong hand."37
"Curious, though he has good taste in cutlery." They giggled and went into their room.38
Kyle napped against the helm, waking up from his own insomnia every couple hours to do an inspection of the guards, and to make sure the men were getting relieved.39
At about midnight he made a startling discovery. The ships on either side of the Jolly Roger had packed up and sailed off during Kyle's short nap. Upon further inspection, he also noticed that the dock guards had all disappeared.40
He made a note of it in the log and continued with his inspection.41
At dawn he made another discovery. The group of ships that had been on the horizon had gotten much closer, and Kyle recognized Spanish colors adorning the flagship.42
Kyle rushed to the captain's quarters. Roger's bunk was empty. Kyle ran to Salah, who was still sleeping. "Salah, vere is ze captain?"43
"Huh? Wait what?"44
"Ze captain, big man, somevat scary, scraggly beard-"45
"Yes yes get on with it!"46
"Vere is he? He needs to know zat zere is a small fleet of Spanish troop ships headed our vay."47
Salah jumped up, not fully awake but entierly alert. "How many buttresses, er wait, ships?"48
"Enough to be a real problem, not enough to take a fortress zough."49
"I'll find the captain, you alert the port master!"50
Kyle and Salah rushed off. Salah shouted something to one of the deck hands, and the ship's bell began ringing.51
Roger emerged from below the deck and approached Salah, "The devil is going on?" he demanded.52
"Sir, look," Salah pointed. Roger's eyes followed his finger and fell upon the small Spanish fleet.53
"Oh bugger."54
"Captain what do we do?"55
"Prepare the cannons?"56
The words took a moment to sink into Salah's head, "Oh, right. Prepare the cannons!"57
"Also, Salah, I want no one on the deck of the ship, you will be in the crow's nest waiting to give the order to fire," Roger looked around for inspiration, "use a rope pull to give the signal. And stay out of sight!"58
"Where will you be sir?" asked Salah.59
The town's bell started ringing. Roger looked up the hill to the source, "That way. I think. Girls, sir Horus, and ... you... there... with, the tights, and fairy boots," he pointed at the metro bard, "Come with me please."60
They met Kyle halfway up the mountain. "Turn back around Kyle, I need to meet with the mayor or governor, whatever frilly git runs this place."61
"He is just up ze mountain," replied Kyle, "He is gazering ze town's militia."62
"Good, we need to tell them to go home."63
"Vat?" Kyle was astonished, "You're not planning on fighting zem by ourselves are you?"64
"No, I'm not. Let's get going."65
Author notes
and the battle comes next
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