Chapter 12: Barbery Pirates

“I am sorry to see you here, but if you had fought like a man, you needn’t be hanged like a dog.” – Anne Bonny.

Hull, Great Britain. July 1071

Commander Morwenna had never been so happy to see land as she was when they sighted the Humber Estuary. It had been a long time, and the ship showed wear from the trip halfway around the world. If they would have had to travel much further, they would have been in trouble because all the coal was gone. Morwenna went so far as to order the coal bunkers swept to extend their power another day. She was standing on the bridge looking over the Hull shipyard when she felt someone stand beside her; looking over, it was Zongshi.

“How does it feel to be home, commander?” Morwenna chuckled

“Really good. Probably almost as good as when we landed in China for you.”

Zongshi gave her a sad smile, “China might have been where I was raised, commander, but it’s not my home. My home is laying off the bow.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Life in Great Britain is much better than life in China. Even though I am Chinese nobility and my life was comfortable, it always bothered me how the peasants are treated. There are no peasants here, and everyone can rise as high as their abilities allow. Just look at you. You began life as a slave, but now you command one of your kingdom’s finest warships and have the complete loyalty of the crew. I wish for my children to grow up in an environment where they can learn and be respected for having a different opinion than the ruler. Many in China learn too late that stating an opinion outside of that held by the emperor is lethal.”

“In that case, Zongshi, welcome home.”

“Thank you, commander.”

“What are you thanking the commander for?” Zongshi’s wife and Xiang had come up behind him.

“She was welcoming me home.”

“Oh, thank you, commander.”

“Yes, thank you, commander,” repeated Xiang.

Morwenna smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to navigating up the Humber. She didn’t know what to think of Zongshi’s wife since she was cool toward the British. That couldn’t be said for Zongshi’s daughter Bai. Bai already spoke English without an accent and spent her every waking hour studying the ship and the function of every switch and valve. Xiang was something different entirely, and although she had a noble’s attitude, Morwenna enjoyed her company.

As the Explorer sailed up the Humber, they were joined by a steam-powered tug, which made Morwenna’s life much easier. Once the tug was tied to the Explorer, they again made good time until they got to the docks. Bai’s and Aditi’s eyes opened wide, seeing the other large ships in port and everything else happening there.

Soon, dockworkers had lines attached to the Explorer and helped pull the ship into her berth. Once the side touched the dock, Morwenna released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding; they were home safe and sound.

Only then did Morwenna allow herself to relax and reflect on their journey; everything had gone well until they left Godawaya. When they stopped in Zeila, the trouble started. The first few days had been fine, with plenty of trading; there were many goods traded that Morwenna had only heard tales of, such as frankincense, myrrh, and ivory. Although Marion had banned the trade of animal products, Morwenna allowed the ivory trade to avoid angering the native traders. During the first day of trading, Morwenna obtained a large bag of beans that the trader claimed would boost energy. Morwenna tried them, and although she felt the boost, she didn’t like the taste.

When Morwenna refused to trade some of their more valuable Chinese goods, the local merchants became furious. Within days, vicious rumors about the British were flying around the market. Some said the British ate children for breakfast or tried to slip pork into the local food supply.

It didn’t take long for a riotous mob to form near the docks, demanding the British surrender to face punishment. Commander Morwenna figured there would be as much chance of them surrendering as the Lord’s second coming at that moment. The British were thankful they had anchored in the harbor rather than tied to the docks. When the people started commandeering fishing boats to try and reach the Explorer, Morwenna ordered everyone to battle stations while the anchor was raised and the boilers rose to pressure.

With the anchor off the bottom and pressure in the boilers rising, Morwenna ordered the ship to sail for the open ocean. It took twenty minutes for the ship to gain enough momentum to outrun the fishing boats. While the ship was picking up speed, the Vulcan guns kept the natives far enough away their bows couldn’t touch them. Morwenna had ordered her passengers to stay deep below deck until they were away from the coast, but Bai wouldn’t obey; she remained on the bridge and watched in awe as the British guns chewed up the fishing boats coming out to meet them.

It took almost an hour, but the Explorer finally freed themselves of pursuit. Within days, they had a much worse problem when they ran into a storm. The ship would have floundered and sunk if it hadn’t been for the steam engine. The winds were so destructive they snapped two masts off within feet of the deck. It was touch and go until the British, with extreme bravery, cleared the mast lying in the water.

After a week of rough sailing, cold food, and almost constant danger, the Explorer sailed into calmer waters, and only then could they take inventory of the damage. Eight sailors had been washed overboard and not been found, while three more had been recovered. Two masts were utterly gone, while the rest had sustained damage. The worst news was three-quarters of the remaining coal reserves had been used up.

After careful observation, Morwenna found an uninhabited bay where the ship could shelter until they could make repairs. It took a month and a half before they felt confident enough to sail out of the bay. Although the two masts were missing, the others had been reinforced so they wouldn’t fail. While in the bay, Morwenna sent work parties ashore to gather wood for the boiler. The boiler was needed to produce electricity for the welders and lights aboard the ship.

Their next challenge was during the rounding of the cape. The winds and currents were working against each other, and Morwenna didn’t wish to use steam, so they took a week to make it around. By this time, every sailor had a minimum of several deep bruises, and many had broken bones.

Once they cleared the cape, sailing mercifully improved until they reached the coast of West Africa. There, Morwenna faced her next problem when they ran into more pirates. This time, they couldn’t use the Vulcan guns because they were out of ammunition. When the Marines climbed into the rigging, Bai instated on going with them. The Marine lieutenant in charge of the detachment had cleared her for rifleman, and she was eager to prove herself. Morwenna didn’t have time to argue with her; besides, she needed every gun she had.

When the pirates struck, they were able to close with the British, and several climbed on the ship. Morwenna was forced to fight with her sidearm. Zongshi was able to watch Morwenna throughout the engagement and was further impressed with the British officer. She stayed at her post and fought the borders with such ferocity a casual observer would have mistaken her for a demon. Morwenna wasn’t about to lose her ship to pirates.

The attack lasted for over an hour before the pirates retired and the British could escape. By the time it was over, Bai had proven herself, and as the Marines put it, she got her cherry popped. The bad part was a quarter of the crew had been wounded or killed in repelling the attack.

It took the rest of the day to clear the ship and bury the dead at sea. The pirates still on board the vessel were thrown off, whether dead or not. Aditi was appalled by the British behavior, but Zongshi and Bai understood that there weren’t supplies or room for prisoners. After West Africa, it was smooth sailing for Morwenna until they reached British waters and were spotted by a patrol boat. The boat took the worst of the wounded to Portsmouth and left as many able seamen as possible to help sail the ship. When the patrol boat reached Portsmouth, they sent a message to York alerting Marion to the ship’s return.

Morwenna was jarred back to the present by a large group of soldiers coming onto the dock. A large man and a beautiful blonde were in the middle of the group. Morwenna gasped when she recognized them and worked frantically to straighten her uniform. Bai came up beside her, curious as to what worried the commander.

“See that group of soldiers?” Morwenna asked, pointing.

“Yes.”

“That large man in the middle is General MacDougall, and the golden blonde next to him is Queen Marion. They must have gotten word when that patrol boat docked in Portsmouth.”

“Oh. Will I be allowed to stay?”

Morwenna looked at Bai. “Yes, the queen gave us permission to rescue you and your family as partial payment for your father helping us.” Seeing the queen waiting for the accommodation ladder, Morwenna called the Marine lieutenant. “LIEUTENANT! CALL ALL YOUR MEN TO THE STARBOARD LADDER! THE QUEEN AWAITS.”

The remaining Marines scrambled to form a line at the starboard ladder while sailors worked frantically to put everything in its place. Marion and Luke came up the ladder before formal preparations could be made and dismissed the honors as soon as they cleared the deck. Commander Morwenna was glad she was there to meet with the queen so Marion wouldn’t have to look for her.

“Welcome home, commander. I hear from your wounded in the hospital at Portsmouth that you have had quite the adventure.”

“Yes, we have, Your Majesty.”

“Just Marion, commander.”

“Aye, ma’am. Would you like to go to my cabin for a full report?”

“Yes, we would. Lead on, commander.”

Morwenna led the way to her cabin, and once everyone was settled, she began her report, often referring to the log book to ensure she had the details correct. It took several hours to go through the full report, and Morwenna was exhausted when she was done. Marion looked at Luke, and he nodded ever so slightly.

“Well, Captain, congratulations on a highly successful mission.”

“Thank you...” Then, the words Marion spoke fully sunk in. “Did you call me Captain?”

“Yes, I did. You led a hazardous trade mission with minimum resources, and despite all the obstacles, you still completed your mission.”

“Congratulations, Captain,” added Luke. “Make sure you get Bai’s information so she can go to basic training.”

“Aye, sir. Thank you, sir. Would you like to inspect the return manifest now?”

“Yes, we would.”

Marion and Luke took out the manifest and reviewed it with Morwenna. Even though she had written the report, it hadn’t dawned on her how much gold, silver, spices, and precious gems she had been carrying until the three reviewed what was in the holds. Marion appropriated samples of all the spices for her kitchen. She knew Luke would make something good with them. Luke’s face lit up toward the bottom of the list, and he became as giddy as a schoolboy.

“You have 100kg of coffee beans?!?! Actual coffee beans?!?!”

“Aye, sir,” Morwenna was confused because she didn’t see the big deal.

“I’m buying every bean you brought back!! You have just made me a delighted Marine.”

“I thought you’re an army general, sir.”

Luke sighed, “It looks like I have some explaining to do, and since you risked everything to travel halfway around the world, you deserve an explanation.”

Luke spent the next hour telling Morwenna the abridged story of his life, and once he was done, she nodded.

“I wondered how you seemed to know where the landmasses were and what I should look for to trade. I also see why you have kept it a secret for so long. I’m glad you didn’t tell me before I left, or I probably wouldn’t have gone.”

“So, captain,” stated Marion. “You’re soon going to be a very wealthy woman. Have you given any thought to what you want to do now?”

“No, ma’am. I would like to take some time to relax with British land under my feet and see what is left of my family.”

“By all means, captain. Just make sure everything is finished up here before you leave. The Explorer will need some serious time in dry dock before returning to sea. Or would you like command of a warship?”

“Umm, may I think about things and get back to you?”

“Of course, captain. Let me know in a month?”

“Aye, ma’am.”

“Very well,” looking at Luke. “We better get my Marine his coffee before he goes insane.”

Morwenna and Marion laughed while Luke was in too good a mood to be taken down with some teasing. The captain showed the way to where she had stored the coffee, and when Luke inspected the beans, he gave his enthusiastic approval by picking Morwenna up and giving her a deep kiss that flushed her skin from her hair roots to the bottom of her covered breasts.