Chapter 2: Replacements

The Captain woke Tara and myself up by storming into my little room and throwing off the covers. We had slept little that night, and Tara had had several orgasms (and I even managed a couple myself)

'Come on Cabin Boy', she bellowed. 'Stop fucking my crew. We have work to do.'

I came round quickly and she was holding out my razor and towel.

'Get showered, get dressed and get downstairs', she told me and have my naked rear a painful spank as I left the room.

Tara quickly joined me in the warm shower but said nothing. I helped her shave and we were both dressed in the pirates clothing and downstairs within ten minutes.

The Captain was busy talking to Commander Penny when we both arrived in the little dining room.

'Two minutes', the Captain warned us and both Tara and I gleefully annihilated a bowl of cereal each and a glass of orange juice.

'Cabin Boy... ', the Captain called as I finished the last of the orange juice in my glass. ' ... Penelope and Ida are both in quarantine with the flu and we need replacements. We do not have time to arrange for new members of crew to come from the base, so I am going to bring in two members of the ground crew. I will let you pick, but you will be disciplined for their mistakes so pick well'

'Yes Captain', I replied. 'I think Holly and Lisa would serve you well'

The Captain turned to the Commander inquisitively, who smirked.

'Well Holly is sixteen and she darn 'alf 'ave a gob on her. His arse will be red raw 'fore you've left port.'

'Sixteen's a bit young isn't it?'

'Nah, chucked out of school at 14 ... long list of petty crimes that one. Is the cousin of the old Admiral and she has been with us for six months. She wants to join the navy properly when she gets to 18 ... Fat chance though ... Too much attitude'

'I'm sure my Cabin Boy will make her behave. And Lisa?'

'She's good. No problems from her. Sound she is'

'Excellent. We must catch up when we return. My treat in town'

'Looking forward to it', Penny told her and the Captain turned to me.

'Get your stuff packed and get it on the ship. Then help load the supplies from the train that is the station. We sail at noon'.

'Yes Captain', I told her and ran up the two flights of stairs to my room, picked up my packed bag and was dumping it in my cabin inside two minutes.

I had clearly underestimated the amount of stuff to be loaded onto the ship. There were crates and crates of food to be stored in the larder, not to mention the water tank needed filling from the long hose attached to the side of Portcullis House, although I also found out that the water for our showers came from the ocean and was merely desalinated.

Gabby, a member of the ground crew checked everything had been loaded onto the ship correctly and I was with the Captain three hours later as she poured over some diagrams with Tara. It turned out that they had the anti-piracy patrol boat plans and were planning on heading North to avoid where they would be.

I grinned, understanding completely why the two patrol boats, funded by Caledonia to look like they took the problem of piracy seriously, was so unsuccessful. I was running some sums round in my head, trying to work out if it was good value and for how many years the gold and silver haul would pay for the patrol boats, and arrived at around 280 years when the Captain snapped me out of my mathematical puzzle.

'Cabin Boy', she called for the second time.

'Sorry Captain'.

'You will be. Go the station and help the girls unload. They are due any minute'

'Yes Captain'

The train took another ten minutes to arrive but I was soon joined on the platform by 40 excited female pirates. Tabatha was the first to notice my presence and shouted across the congested platform at me.

'Are you on the ground crew or the ship?', she asked and eighty eyes looked round at me.

'I'm sailing with you', I told her and there was an audible cheer.

'I get the first fight with him', Tabatha called and there was a murmur of disagreement.

'Anyone need any help?', I asked and Commander Helen appeared from nowhere and passed me two naval issue bags followed quickly by Lieutenant Anne.

In total I carried all of Commanders' bags as well as most of the Lieutenants' in a number of trips. My last trip was to help carry, a worrying punishment device from the back of the van that looked like a wooden frame with restraints and spinned in the middle.

'The Captain got it from the Admiralty. They did a clear out', Africa told me and I didn't probe any further.

It was half past eleven when the entire crew were on the deck in a circle. She read out the names of all of the members of the crew, including Holly and Lisa. Jacqueline had been replaced by a wiry looking girl called Angela in Navigation while Suzanne was back in Sigma as a full seawoman again.

The Captain then gave each team jobs to do and the girls moved like lightning to start the ship moving again. The Captain marched to the Upper Deck and looked down on the activity taking place. I stood behind her and gleefully watched as the ship moved slowly out of the harbour and began picking up pace. The sight I never thought I would see again, was happening before my eyes.

We had been moving for twenty minutes, and Hamilton had melted into the disappearing landmass that populated the side of the ocean, when the Captain ordered me to wait in her quarters. She arrived two minutes later with Tara and I began to think back to the previous night. Was I going to get quizzed for screwing her? Was I going to get punished? Was Tara?

She addressed Tara first as she sat down at her bureau, 'John is here as the Admiral has demanded that he is given a member of my crew to train him, and I had chosen you but after seeing you this morning I am concerned... '

'Of course. Well I can't deny we get on well ... and enjoy sex with each other as we all do ... but I'm professional. If I am training him then he will be the best he can be and be disciplined thoroughly' Tara explained. The Captain was looking into her eyes piercingly and smiled.

'Why do I get the feeling that you are dating on the shore?'

Tara bit her lip and shook her head. 'I offered but he turned me down'.

'That's not true!', I exclaimed and looked at Tara. 'I said she could do far better for herself. She is out of my league'

The Captain smirked. 'That IS true. Never look a gifthorse in the mouth though Cabin Boy... '

Tara was getting nervous and quickly replied to the Captain. 'We are not dating ... casual sex yes, but partners no. And for the duration of the training I will stop that, if required. The navy is far more important than sex.'

'Rhona's influence?', she asked.

'Totally. I want to advance in the navy like she did. She was a Captain at 29. I've got eight years before I reach her age and when I do I want to be an officer too. I wouldn't screw that up for anything'