Chapter 17

"I can talk but you wouldn't believe. I'll show you tomorrow morning."

"You're the owner but I don't like this."

"You don't have much choice. You can only man all the sweeps and row hard or not so hard."

The smaller boat was put overboard on the side away from the pirates. We had changed course so we would lose a bit more distance as the pirate cut the corner.

The boys wanted to go but I didn't allow it. The rest of us put on the combat vests as well as the ones stuffed with cork in case they fell overboard. The weapons were put on the seats because we needed our backs to row. The night was darker than usual because it was overcast.

When it got dark enough, we rowed like hell and tried to keep the Scors between us and the pirate. Soon an old sail stained black went past us and we waited. We had two night vision glasses but we wanted to save the power for when it was needed.

The pirate had gone by about two klicks away. In five minutes we in its wake and came at it from the stern. We rowed like hell because we heard the cannon being used now.

We came to the stern and saw the rudder. There was no ladder but I came prepared. With no grappling hooks, I used a pole with a hastily built hook loosely attached at the end. This was a large ship and actually had a cabin at the stern with shutters. This had to be the Captain's.

The men kept pace with the ship and I set the hook. Nobody came to investigate. The pole was removed and I climbed the rope already prepared with knots in it. When I looked into the room with my night vision glasses, I saw nobody. After checking the hook I signalled the men and they climbed aboard and we dragged our weapons up with a smaller rope.

The cannon was still firing but not often. I was the only one with a silencer but the flash would be seen. We brought truncheons to make this as quiet as possible. Tonno and his men had garrottes too.

The Captain's door was locked and we had shoot out the lock when the cannon was heard. Apparently the Captain didn't trust anybody.

There were rowers on the deck below but none on this deck. Everybody else seemed to be above. I went out first. There were no fires or lanterns because this ruined night vision. I was able to go to the right and climb some steps. I saw the wheelman and someone else.

I must have made noises because the other said, "Who - " before I hit with a fist and then a karate chop to the neck. The wheelman grabbed for his knife but my hand deflected the arm as other fist went home in the throat.

Tonno was watching me and told his men to get to work. I lashed the wheel and used tie wraps on the men. We had nearly half of those on deck knocked out before the rest found that something was wrong. Instead of fighting, I stood back and watched. When a gun was aimed at one of us I shot the person.

Knives were used by the pirates and the vests were not designed to ward off these blows. When the 45's were used, the fight left the pirates. With this partially under control I used a flashlight to signal the Scors to loose headway. I hoped the Captain was going to follow orders and not follow his fears. There was more fighting as we tackled the cannon crew.

Lanterns were found and lit. Some of our men were bleeding and they bandaged themselves and each other. The pirates were separated from their weapons and tied.

We had to go through the ship again to search out anybody hiding. We found a few and the cough of the 45 was enough to get them to comply. A room had some personal bed slaves and they were tied. When we went to the deck of the rowers, I almost puked. The place stunk and I was sure it was a breeding ground for disease. We found three more pirates hiding here. The rest were slaves chained to their benches.

When it looked like we had them all I said to the rowers, "We captured this ship. I'll try to free all of you over time."

There were some questions but the people weren't that lucid. They were women and from a Bejek male's point of view, expendable.

When I got on the deck, I saw the Scors crew armed with their rifles. We waved back to them and they just stared at us because of what we had accomplished. Captain Sacco and four of his men came aboard to see what we had done. They had to search for hidden pirates. They knew where to search and found three more.

When they came on deck I said loud enough to reach both ships, "You're rich men now. That was a drak each I promised." Sacco looked stunned and those on the other ship cheered.

The wounded were treated during the night but by morning there were seven more dead pirates. Three were severely wounded and fifteen with little or no injuries. Half of the pirate crew were women and they didn't appear to be the soft kind I would want in my bed. There were six young girls and four boys that were used by the crew and the captain. Below decks were forty three women.

The able-bodied pirates cleaned up the mess on the deck. Bosma and Camsa were my wheelmen. They were supervised by Morrow. We made a good meal for everybody. The slaves below deck probably got fed what would be two meals to them.

I went below deck and provided some more information. Then I asked, "Who here are sailors?" Most claimed to be. I asked a few more questions but it was mostly to see how lucid they were. Captain Sacco had to make his own determinations. We both knew that the people here were borderline crazy from their treatment and captivity. They couldn't be released unless it was in small groups. After that, they had to go back to their chains. This was hard on all of us but necessary.

Later that day we spotted another ship but it didn't give chase. When night came we dropped anchor near the harbour and waited for daylight. There was a little problem with some of the crew wanting the captured boys and girls but it wasn't that difficult to get them to understand what I wanted.

When we pulled into port, we found ourselves under guns. We just continued our duties and dropped sails and tied up.

A man in a military man came to the deck and said, "You are all under arrest for piracy."

I said, "Wouldn't it be better to ask what happened first? Perhaps things aren't as they seem."

"Who are you?"

"Lord Crazzic. Who are you?"

The man was a little flustered and angry but said, "Carrso Formsa, the Harbourmaster."

"I'm glad to meet you, Harbourmaster. I'm the new owner of the Scors. We bring good Scathan wine and dried meat. Two days ago we found ourselves pursued by pirates. That night my friends and myself got into a rowboat and separated from the Scors. We let the pirates pass then we rowed to catch up to their ship. We climbed aboard and took the ship."

"You took a pirate ship with the men from a rowboat?"

"I'm being polite to you. It may be a good idea to return the favour and we may remain friends."

"How is it that you took a pirate ship?"

"The pirates onboard the Skussa were not prepared and the fact is that my men are a rowdy bunch that like to fight. I not only hired them for their pretty faces but their ability to protect me." There were some smiling faces now and none of them could be called pretty.

"Your men must be very exceptional."

"They are, Harbourmaster. Now I would like to ask if there is a reward for the capture of these pirates? I intend to keep the Skussa."

"There's always a reward. Our King, I think, would like to talk to you first, though."

"That sounds like a good idea. I also have some galley slaves that I claim. Some were stolen from your lands and I wish to reunite them with their families."

"Who are they."

I walked over and handed a sheet of paper to the Harbourmaster. It has all the citizens of this country along with the city they lived in. It was another twenty minutes before the guns were put down. The Harbourmaster was invited aboard and he checked the condition of the ship himself. He talked to the pirates and they reluctantly told him the same as what I had said. They had nothing to lose now and tried to act nice.

The Harbourmaster then checked the Scors. Sampling of our cargo was in order to ensure quality.

There was a lot of people that came down to talk business and hear the story of the pirates. I let the others that were involved in the assault tell the story their way. This thirsty work continued even to the crew that had not participated.

I checked the girls out. They were a listless lot that had the wits fucked out of them. I had to be an authority to keep discipline but I was not immune to their pain. The boys were the same way but Camsa and Bosma took care of them. I didn't mind the sex they had as long as this was all consensual.

The galley slaves were brought out in small groups and sent to a bathhouse. Physicians came and I got quantity discounts. Peddlers with used clothes sold me whatever the women liked.

The women that acted rational had their manacles removed. This was the carrot for the rest so they would try to act responsibly. Food in large amounts was delivered. My threat to throw the cook and the owner into the bay if the food was not up to my expectations was believed.

Our wine and meat was being sold and both the Harbourmaster and the excise man got their cut out of each deal.

A horseman in expensive livery stopped at the dock and came aboard. He looked around until he found me. I was shirtless and wrestling with the kids. He said, "I'm looking for Lord Crazzic."

"You've found him."

He hadn't expected the answer or the way it was delivered, but he recovered. "I have a message from my King, Carrser 23rd, King of all of Mersia — " the man went on and on and I waited patiently until he was done.

I broke the seal with a thumb and read the flowery script. Some of the terms were new to me. I reread the document just in case then said, "I would be happy to accept the invitation."

When the man left I looked at the bodyguards and chose Carso and Fillo. They had some nice clothes and shoulder holsters.

I had a bath at the common bathhouse. Some of the attendants volunteered to wash my back. I knew I had to get clean. Soon I had more women coming in to see how big I was. When I was done, I figured I was the one who should have been paid.