Roleplay Online with RolePlayGateway

Stars twinkled down from the dark heavens, like someone hand thrown a lords ransom of diamonds into the night, as a sleek shape drifted through the sky over the Rylas Ocean. The soft chug of a steam engine could be heard, as it slowly turned the twin propellers of the Raven. She had recently set off from the island nation of Lirtista, three days ago, after taking on more fuel, food and a letter of marque to raid the shipping of Lirtista’s rival, The island nation of Indie.

Captain Alexei Skylair stood on the deck of the Raven, out on the boarding platform, leaning against the enclosed main deck, watching the night pass by. The boarding deck was a section of the top deck, surrounding the enclosed part, where two men could walk abreast. It was the place where two ships could extend boarding planks, to trade or do battle.

As the cool air brushed his brown ponytail against his neck, the sleepy captain scanned the horizon with his naked eye. Sitting by his feet was the ship’s cabin boy, an eight-year-old Kem, who resembled a gray mouse. His overly large ears, to a human observer, twitched with the soft sounds of the night.

Alexei shifted, staring out over the bow of the Raven. There was a small, dark shape far ahead of them. He reached out and grabbed the spyglass sitting on deck next to the cabin boy, Jadin. Click it out three time to it’s full length, he raised the spyglass to his right eye. That only allowed him to confirm that the shape was an airship.

“Jadin” said Alexei softly, nudging the sleeping boy with his foot, “Go tell the night watch to put more wood in the engine. We have a ship to chase.”

The boy nodded sleepy, pulling himself to is feet and shuffled off into the enclosed deck, his tail swaying behind him. Alexei turn his attention to the dark shape of the unknown airship. A fat prize maybe but they needed to get much closer to make out her flag. Behind him, the soft chug of the engine increased in volume and frequency. The chase was on.




(Want to know more and join up? Click this link and post a character profile sky-raiders-ooc-t9743.html )

"Nay" said Alexei, lowering the spyglass, "It be too dark to make out her colors but I'll bet ye a silver piece that she's a Indie ship. These be one of the air corridors they use for trade." He collapsed the spyglass again and looked back along the port side of the Raven, to a nearby rope ladder, leading up into the system of ropes forming a net over the ship's balloon. With practiced ease, he slided his boots off and started towards the ladder. "Make sure those don't fall overboard" he called to Peter, "Or I'll send you in after them."

Tucking the spyglass into his belt, Alexei grabbed the tarred rope and started hauling himself up into the balloon netting. The only time anyone really went up here was to make repairs to the balloon, should they suffer storm damage or an enemy ship break the taboo of never shooting into another airship's balloon. Somethings this happened by mistake but still, even the worst murdering, backstabbing scumbag in the skies never did so on purpose.

As he neared the top, Alexei wrapped his left arm around a strong rope and gripped ladder with his toes. Snapping out his spyglass, he once again took a gander at the airship ahead of them. It was fuzzy and hard to make out but he could see the anchor and five, nine-pointed stars of the Indie flag flapping out behind the bulky merchant vessel.

"We've found ourselves a pump merchant Rahlia" said Alexie, grinning and lowering the spyglass from his eye, "And I couldn't sleep anyways." He glanced back at his first mate, the oddest looking member of the crew at times. "I'll talk more on deck" he finished and looked down at the gunner awaiting orders.

"Mr. Slyfurson" Alexei called down to the deck, "We do indeed have a Indie merchantmen or someone who's going to be very sorry for flying their colors." He glanced at the horizon, looking for a sign to how far off the dawn was, as he did not have an hourglass handy at that moment. He guessed they had about an hour before the merchant would change watches and they were spotted.

Alexei collapsed the spyglass again and tucked it into his belt, followed by the decent back to the deck. Jumping down the last few feet, the Raven's captain grinned widely. "Go find Jadin" he said, grabbing his boots and pulling them on, "And tell him to look and see if he have any Indie colors stashed away, then start getting the crew ready for action."

"Aye Jeffrey" said Alexei, not turning from his spot in the bow, still staring at their prize, "Go open the armory and grab the gun crews, I want the cannon loaded and ready to be used at my command."

The Raven was armed with six guns in total, not that all of them were matching design or made in the same foundry. there was a chase gun in both the bow and stern, each one being a two pounder. The other four guns were located below the top deck, two on the port side and two on the starboard. Those main guns were three pounders. Not the most heavily armed ship compared with a few from the different navies but then again, if the guns were two heavy two things would happen. the first was the ship would not fly and the second being that you would knock any ship you hit outta the sky and lose any profit to be made.

"More speed" said Alexei, "We need to close with them in the dark. Dawn comes soon and with it, the light. They won't fall for any trick we try to pull in the clear morning light. Most Indie merchant captains will only crew their ships with other bronze skinned Indiens and only a few will take on other airmen. The darker it is, the better chance we have of getting close and making a sneak attack."

Young Jadin was indeed to be founded in the Raven's galley, the young Kem was fixing himself a pick-me-up snack, as he followed the captain around and needed to be awake when he was. Of course, Alexei's sleeping habits or the lack of them was taking a toll on the poor cabin boy and he found himself eating more food or catching cat naps (ironic no?) to keep up. When he was told to look for any Indie flags, he dashed into the master cabin and started rutting around in a large chest, that held the captured colors from older battles. At the very bottom of the chest was an old and battered green flag, with a golden anchor in the middle and surrounding it were five golden stars, each with nine points.

Pulling out the battered old thing, Jadin raced to the stern of the Raven, out on the boarding deck. He attached the old Indie flag to a thin rope, curled between two pulleys, one attached to the railing and one attacked up in the rigging. The young cabin boy then pulled with all his might, sending the flag up into the air, flapping madly with the increase of speed the Raven was taking.

A thought entered the wakening mind of Jadin, the captain did not have his sword or pistol, he had left those in his cabin for his nighttime walk around the deck. Smiling with a bold idea, the young Kem once again dashed into the master cabin, to collected Alexei's gear. The cabin boy felt that he really still needed to prove himself aboard ship, as he had only come aboard one year ago, after he tried to pickpocket Alexei and had gotten caught. Picking up the oddly curved cutlass and flintlock pistol that the captain used, he set off for the bow. The whole time, Alexei had been listening to the chug of the engine and watching the merchantmen draw closer.

"Captain" called Jadin, as he got close, "Your effects."

"Thank ye young mouse" said Alexei, turning to look at his cabin boy with a grin. He took the cutlass and it's sheath, then attached it to his belt. As the weight of the sharp steel caused him to adjust his stance, the Raven's captain pulled the dagger from the small of his back and pressed it into the hand of the Kem standing next to him, after taking the flintlock pistol. "Ye be needing a weapon" he said, tucking the pistol into his belt, "Should they try and board us."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the water and sky, as the sun started to make the eastern horizon glow dimly, the Indie merchant ship, Kanak's bell sounded. The men on dog watch were allowed to head below decks now and get some much needed sleep. One of the first airmen to take up his spot for the watch was, Ajitabh Sharma, a green hand. He stood on the port boarding deck, staring lazily out to the blank sky. The Kanak had shipped out from the trade port of Chak five days ago and still had another two weeks to go before she saw Indie again and the green hand had learned that life as a merchant sailor was boring.

Then, Ajitabh saw something, coming towards them from the shadows of night still clinging to the sky, off in the west. He couldn't right make it out but guessed it to be another airship.

"Mr. Banerjee" called Ajitabh, naming the first mate, "Come have a look at this."

The somewhat grumpy first mate walked over and looked where the stupid green hand was pointing. This was not the first time he had to baby sit the new hands and their requests for him to do things as highly annoying. But this time, the green hand had found something of interest for the old first mate. He pulled out a worn spyglass and peered at the moving shape. An Airship to be sure but he was looking for her colors. It took him a few glances at her stern but he finally managed to catch a glimpse of the flapping flag. Indie colors.

"Go wake the captain" said Mitesh Banerjee, "And tell him theres an airship he needs to look at."

"A fat prize" called Alexei, hearing a call for knowledge. He was still staring straight ahead, watching the Indie merchant growing closer and larger. The propellers pushing the Raven spun faster, drawing death down on this patch of clear sky. The plan was simple, come along side the merchant, with most of the crew hidden either below decks or behind the wall of the main deck. Once they were along side, run out the guns for a single broadside, attach the boarding planks while the merchant crew were stunned and then slaughter and pillage to the crews content.

"Mr. Slyfurson" said Alexei, "When you hear the ship's bell cry out, that will be the time to open the gun ports and run out the cannon. We'll catch them napping we will and have ourselves a good slaughter!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Ranjeet Jaiteley, of the Indien merchant ship Kanak, stood on the port side boarding deck, studying the oncoming airship with his gold plated spyglass. He was a young man, to command a ship and on an official task from the Prince of Indie, well dressed and vain. He could make out the flag flapping behind the unknown ship but her crew were still fuzzy.

"What are your orders Captain?" asked Mitesh Banerjee, rubbing his old hands.

"We'll greet them as kin" said Ranjeet, in his refined drawl, "But keep half the crew ready for trouble. We do have an important cargo."

"Aye Captain" said Mitesh, disappearing into the ship.