City of Gold (IC)

[Aslin]

Salina nodded her head at the plan. Lali was on the wheel and Marcello was managing the guns Half her stuff still lay in the Captain's cabin for she had yet to move her items since the mutiny. So as Santiago went out to let the crew know they would be attacking the other ship. Unsure as to what her job was in this attack at the moment, Salina waited for Santiago and was pleased to know that she was part of the boarding crew. Short ranged battles were her strength. As everyone went about quickly preparing for the attack, Lali was already steering the ship towards their victim.

Salina hesitated but a moment before she followed Santiago into the Captain's cabin where her own equipment and belongings were. She had not had time to move her belongings out and would do it as soon as they were done pilfering the other ship. "I'm just going to grab my bands," Salina muttered as she strode past Santiago. Pulling it out from her bag, she remained kneeling on the floor as she made quick work of strapping them on. They were part leather and part bronze plating. She pulled at the strings with her teeth to tighten them around her wrists and elbows. Once she was satisfied they were bound probably, she bent her third and fourth fingers to press onto the rigging on the palm of her band and from the back of both her hands, two sharp blades sprang forward. Satisfied that the springs were working, she slid them both back within the confines of the band before standing back up. Her sword was already attached to the belt around her hips just as her pistol was. Turning to face Santiago, she winked and said, "Try not to get hurt Captain." She trudged out of the cabin and onto the deck where the glorious scent of sea filled her lungs. Taking in a deep breath of that air, her golden eyes sparkled in anticipation at what was to come.

She glanced over to Marcello who was getting the crew together. There was such comrade and she felt slightly out of it. Unlike them she had yet to get to know the rest of the crew and she knew she had alot to proof to the men. Being tucked away in James' cabin had done nothing for her and she knew that this was her opportunity to gain some form of respect from the crew.

The ship was now very approaching the other at a rapid pace. Salina prepared for the orders as she stood beside the rest of the boarding crew.

[Incognito]

Salina turned and winked at him.

"Try not to get hurt, Captain."

He couldn’t help but grin as she walked out of the cabin and onto the deck. He lagged behind and mumbled under his breath.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetie.”

The crew was rousted into a fighting spirit, probably the work of Marcello, and Lali was at the helm, his expert steering bringing them closer to the ship every second.
Their speed and small ship enabled them to quickly get behind the victim, crossing its wake before the enemy ever knew what happened. Santiago stood next to Lali at the helm and readied the command to fire.
Raising his pole-axe he lowered it and roared fiercely.

“FIRE!!!”

The power of his bellow caused spit to project itself off his teeth and the muscles of his face were tense like old jerky. Next came the roar of their cannons as they belched their ammunition into the enemy ship. Smoke quickly filled the air as they sailed beside their enemy’s port, just as planned, poring cannon shot after cannon shot into their gun-deck and main-deck.
The degree of success of their cannon attack and just how much damage it did to both the ship and the crew would rely on Marcello's ability. How much damage their own ship took would rely on Lali's ability to steer them out of danger as the enemy crew quickly wheeled their own cannons in position. No mater what happened, Santiago stood firm and resolute, waiting to give the boarding order.

[Chuckles]

The guns roared in quick unison and the men set to reloading. They were moving faster than they had ever moved while practicing. Adrenalin was kicking it. Marcello was at the deck rail firing off shots while a younger sailor was crouched next to him reloading.

The first shots had ripped into their preys gun deck, Marcello personally saw two of the cannons blasted off of their bases, so they had already nearly neutralized any threat of a return volley. As he had hoped the other crew had not been prepared on the port side and were only now trying to load the two guns they had left. Underestimation was a great folly on the seas and this captain had sorely underestimated them.

Any hands that weren't busy loading the guns cast lines to the other ship to bring them in for the boarding party. Marcello was picking off sailors as the came to try and cut the ropes.

The second volley removed the threat from the remaining cannons and Marcello raised his hat toward Santiago, yelling over the commotion, "The lady awaits my Captain!" As he said it a hole appeared in the top of his hat, he looked through it, "Bastardo! Io tagliare tuo fegato fuori!" Another shot whined passed him and he dropped his hat, pulled out one of his pistols and shot the marine who had fired at him square in the chest.

[Oran Tarlin]

Lali held firm. He kept the ship as steady as mortal hands could when that volley went off. Oh the crashing! It was a glorious thing! Lali was now readying himself to turn, turn like hell and turn like his life depended on it. He needed to get the ship in position and from this point it wasn't looking good. Somehow he fought the ship and the sea, the second volley was a help, realigning the ship and bringing it back under his control.

"Captain, I'd not suggest standing there..." Lali said, hardly wanting the captain to receive whatever shrapnel he saw in his vision. That sort of thing always came at the wrong time.

Lali's giddy demeanor was disturbing but not out of place against the chaos. "Kill a few for me boys, I'm steering dis bloody thing!" He yelled to the crew who certainly couldn't hear him.

Aha! Marcello's hat had been defiled. That was just the sort of thing the man didn't need at this point, but god was it fun to watch! Holding steady, holding steady, Lali had reigned back control of the ship, and was swinging it round.

[Incognito]

Santiago strode down onto the main deck and grabbed a rifle from one of the crew. He was a lousy shot, but in close quarters you didn’t need to aim very much. He shouldered the rifle and fired, hitting one of the merchant vessel’s marines in the chest and causing him to fall overboard. Handing the rifle back to the crewmate he grabbed his pole-axe in both hands and shouted orders over the gunfire.

“Pull the lines! Lure them in!”

More gunfire sparked and one of the crewmates, a shrimpy man with a pistol, took a musket ball in the right eye socket. The man fell to the deck in a puddle of red blood. Santiago glanced besides him and frowned. Casualties weren’t going to be high thanks to Marcello and Lali, but a few men were going to loose their lives. Santiago didn’t like that fact but he continued to prepare for boarding and more blood shed. Slowly, the crew tugged on lines and brought the victim ship closer to their own.
Before the next phase he found Salina and pulled her close to him so that he could speak into her ear.

"Salina, I want you to take a few men into the cargo hold while we busy them uptop. See if you can secure the Captain on the way."

He nodded at her and returned to ordering the crew.

“Planks out! Get ready to board!”

The planks were shoved out and bridged the gap between ships. The navy marines aboard the merchant vessel desperately tried to return fire but were unsuccessful in their attempts.

“Volley!”

Santiago shouted above the roar of battle. Anyone with a loaded rifle immediately took aim and pulled the trigger. A field of lead rocketed towards the enemy and shredded almost everyone who wasn’t in cover.

"Charge!"

The Captain, like any good leader, was the first on the planks, charging across it with speed. A man dressed in a blue overcoat was at the other end and frantically tried to raise his rifle in order to shoot the bearded Spaniard.
Lucky for Santiago he was not fast enough and he was able to trust his pole-axe into the center of the man’s chest before he could take proper aim. The man’s gun went off but was aimed at the deck and impacted the wood.
Screaming, the blue coated man went down hard onto the deck and Santiago was on top of him in an instant. He withdrew his pole-axe and brought it back down, axe blade first, into the man’s skull.
He looked around and noticed his crew was already aboard the enemy ship alongside him. Each seemed busy with battle and overall things were going their way. The fight wouldn’t last much longer.

[Aslin]

It had begun. Adrenaline flowed through Salina's veins as she and the others prepared themselves. As both ships came side by side, Salina drew out her pistol and fired a shot at one of the marines on the merchant vessel. The other crew members were already sliding the planks into positions. Just as she helped lay the last plank down, someone grabbed and pulled at her. Salina was startled but was quick to calm herself when she realised it was Santiago.

"Salina, I want you to take a few men into the cargo hold while we busy them uptop. See if you can secure the Captain on the way."

"Aye Captain," Salina gave a quick nod of her head before pulling away from Santiago. Pointing out six of the crew members, she shouted, "You six, with me." Each nodded their heads although some seemed hesitant. Once again Salina was reminded, she had alot to prove during this attack. When Santiago crossed over to the merchant vessel, she signaled to the six and quickly, they ran across the planks. Most of the crew members had already delivered much damage to the marines and if all went well, they would have the ship secured within a matter of minutes. As she jumped off the plank onto the vessel's deck, Salina pulled out her sword and pushed through the throng of bodies fighting all around. She spared only a single glimpse back to see if the others were following her and when she turned back, one of the marines was right in her path, bringing his sword down upon her. Cursing, she side stepped to avoid the slash while bringing her own sword down upon his back. She barely made a cut on his back when he tried to thrust his sword towards her again. Taking a step back, Salina brought her right fist down upon his neck and pressed on the rigging at her palm. The blade at the band swished out and pierced through the marine's neck causing blood to spurt out. Pulling her hand away, she kicked the man back and he fell on the deck, lifeless.

Shouting to the others, she rushed forward until the remaining five and herself were at the Captain's cabin. "You four head down to the cargo hold and seize the who ever is below. If their marines, kill them off but if they are not, keep them captive. We'll let the Captain decide what ta do with their hides." They split up and the four went down below deck to perform their task.

The last of the five was a single toothed pirate who was a burly figure of a man. Salina tilted her head towards the Captain's cabin doors and the pirate grinned in acknowledgment. Pulling out her pistol with her left hand, Salina stood back as the big man kicked at the door. It swung open, its lock in splinters and the two of them quickly went in, their weapons raised. Salina heard a shot being fired and felt searing heat at her arm. Ignoring it, she quickly spotted the marine and fired a shot at his head. He keeled over and fell down on his face. Her accomplice had tackled the other marine down and delivered a powerful punch to his face before gutting him with his dagger. Salina quickly looked about and was pleased to find no other marines within the Captain's cabin but still held her weapons at hand. The Captain was still here. She knew it for the marines had to have been guarding him. Was he hiding. But if yes. Where? The two of them made a slow round about the quaint cabin all the while prepared for any other attacks. Salina kept her back to the wall ensuring that she only had one side to worry about. As she glanced over to her comrade Salina's eyes widened in shock as the man they had been looking for, slipped out from behind the Captain's large desk to place his gun at the back of the pirate's head.

Salina did not have a chance to even warn her partner as the Captain released the bullet through his skull. Salina quickly slid herself around the right wall. The sound of a large body falling to the ground made her shudder knowing he was now dead, leaving her alone with the Captain. Although the fight was taking place but a few meters outside the room, Salina felt somehow secluded from the rest. Steeling herself, Salina quickly considered her options.

Meanwhile, the Captain, a man who appeared in his forties and yet still stroke an imposing figure, called to her, "Come out now and surrender or I will put a bullet straight through your head just like your friend here." Salina did not answer. Instead, she was formulating a plan. The Captain began to take slow measured steps towards where she hid behind the wall. "I don't like to kill females so just surrender," there was a faint trace of humor in his voice. Just like a man to underestimate a woman Salina thought to herself. It would be to her advantage just as how the fact that the Captain walked with a slight limp would aid her. She had deduced it when she heard the way one of his footstep seemed to be louder than the other, meaning her favoured one leg over the next.

Deciding on her move, Salina did a quick step forward to give the Captain a glimpse of herself before immediately pulling herself back against the wall. As she expected, the Captain fired at the wall and within five bullets, there was a 'click' sound and she knew he had used up his bullets. Chucking her pistol back into its holster, Salina ran out from behind the wall and straight towards the Captain. As fast as she could, without giving him a chance to actually pull out his sword, Salina brought her sword down upon his right hand and caused a cut from his shoulder blade down to his elbow. Bellowing in pain, the Captain finally pulled out his sword and haphazardly attacked her. It was then she notice that he favoured his right leg more. Immediately, she blocked his thrust and lifted her right leg to kick at his left knee cap. Grimacing in pain, the Captain fell to his knees. Salina used her knee to jab at his bad arm and he fell to his side. With her left foot, she pressed down on the hand holding the sword. His face turned white with pain and he released his weapon. Kicking it aside, Salina threw back the same words at him, "I prefer not to hurt a man so it's best if you just surrender. Now get up." The Captain cursed under his breath before clumsily coming to his feet. Salina held him at sword point and he stumbled forward.

[Incognito]

The fight was exceptionally short, even by pirate standards. Most of the merchant’s crew had been wounded or killed by Marcello’s excellent shooting before they ever boarded. Thanks to Lali’s skill as a pilot, when they had boarded, it was with a full crew that had sustained no wounds or death from cannon return cannon fire.
As the last victim fell, a fat man who rolled to the ground like a whale after being shot through the right eye, the pirate crew roared in a cheer of victory. Sinclair immediately went to the mast and, raising his pole-axe, sliced through the vessel’s flag line. The blue, white, and red colors of the French flag fluttered down to the deck. Now, this ship was truly theirs.
Santiago marched to the Captain’s Cabin where he had sent Salina to apprehend the merchant leader. The doors had been kicked in and he stepped inside unhindered. Looking around he noticed two things, one, that a pirate lay dead with a bullet through the back of his skull, and two, Salina had actual managed to killed both marine guards and subdue the Captain without killing him.

“Well then, I see you’ve killed one of my crew, Captain whatever your name is.”

“Gifford. Captain Michael Gifford.”

“Captain Santiago Cornelio. Tell me Captain, how does it feel to be beaten by a woman?”

Michael didn’t respond, simply scowled at his captors in irritation. Santiago grinned with victory.

“Salina, please take his pistol and sword. As his captor, it’s only fair your get first pick of his personal affects.”

Santiago looked at her left arm and frowned.

“And after you’ve done with that please go to my cabin and await me. We need to take a look at that arm.”

He nodded at her, then turned around and exited the cabin. The main deck was indeed organized. Scores of men hoisted goods up from the cargo hold and passed them across planks to their own ship. Most of the crates were unmarked and contained hardtack and other foodstuffs, but some were marked ‘Gunpowder’ and amazingly, some were even marked ‘Penicillin’ a very valuable plunder indeed.
The captives of the merchant vessel were all tied up and sat down on the main deck, stripped of their valuables and weapons. No one bothered to guard them, as any attempt to flee or fight back would result in certain death anyway. Santiago was busy debating what to do with them and stood in front of the captive group stroking his beard.

[Aslin]

Santiago walked in and immediately questioned the man she had apprehended. He responded with his name, Captain Michael Gifford.

"Captain Santiago Cornelio. Tell me Captain, how does it feel to be beaten by a woman?" Santiago asked the captive who responded with a scowl. Salina had not yet let her sword down and refused to do so until the Captain was bound by ropes. "Salina, please take his pistol and sword. As his captor, it's only fair you get first pick of his personal affects."

"With pleasure," Salina replied and when Santiago asked her to go to his cabin after she had removed the dear Captain's belongings so that her arm could be tended to, she nodded her head. Oddly enough, it was only then that she recalled being shot at and a quick glance down at her arm showed that she was bleeding through her coat. Now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, she could feel the pain but was sure that the bullet was not embedded in her left arm but rather, it had grazed her skin and taken abit of flesh off. She wouldn't know for sure until her coat was off.

Jabbing her sword into the Captain's back, Salina ordered him to move forward. Not taking the situation lightly at all, the Captain began to verbally abuse her, "A woman on board a ship," he spat, "No use for them unless they're beneath me," he gave an evil laugh. Salina ignored him but a spark of anger shot through her. They were now out of the cabin and on deck where the captives were all in a corner. Pushing him forward, Salina said, "Now remove your sword and pistol and toss them onto the ground."

With hatred in his eyes, he removed his weapons and threw them towards her. Smiling, Salina gave a small bow and asked one of the crew members to put him with the other captives. Picking up the sword and two pistols, Salina took headed for the plank. Her arm was starting to ache terribly now and she just wanted to get the coat off her arm. As she walked across the plank to the ship, she waved at Lali. He had done a tremendously wonderful job of getting them next to the ship. Marcello had done his part fantastically as well for he had done more damage to the ship than any of them could have ever hoped of doing. Making her way to the Captain's cabin, Salina placed the looted weapons onto a table. It was then that she actually let all tension run out of her body.

Salina was still overcoming her fear of being around so many men after meeting Andre. She knew it was a petty fear and one that none of the others could find out. Who would find a female pirate with a fear of men an asset on board a ship? She promised herself, she would soon let go of that fear. With that, she carefully slid the sleeve of the coat of her right arm first. Now for her left arm. She bit her bottom lip as she gently nudged the sleeve off her arm. She winced as the material scraped across her wound. The coat now on the floor and with her white shirt on, she looked at the wound and released a sigh. It wasn't as bad as it felt. The bullet had grazed her skin and as she had suspected, taken some flesh off. But it was not a large or deep wound.

[Oran Tarlin]

Lali gave the ship over to the nearest man now, as they had slowed to a halt with a precise and beautiful victory. He joined in with the cheering, he joined in with the revelry and the shouting, but his mind was elsewhere.

He strolled across the plank non-chalantly, his fingers gently sliding along a bit of rope. "Dis is why dey lost..." He said, and without any effort the rope snapped at his fingers and went flying off the deck. Lali picked up a crate of powder and started to lug it over to his new darling. Their pirate ship. Theirs... but... still his.

He dropped the bucket, he had returned to his usual brooding self. Without a word to anyone he walked back to the captain's quarters.

"Salina" He said, his deep voice dark with anguish. He opened the door calmly and stepped in. "I see you're hurt. I'm sure de captain will have some of the medical supplies over here right quick."

He kept a respectful distance, and pulled from his vest a book tightly bound in leather straps. "You did very well out der. Better dan most men, I'd say." Lali held the book firmly, and leaned against the exposed wall not housing maps or bookshelves.

He took a very deep breath. "I tink we'll let the men drink tonight. But we all need to speak on de matters of where we're headed." He said, wishing he had some tobacco... or a toffee... he would have killed for a toffee, or a marshmallow, sweet and unctuous... The kind made in his favorite confectioners shops in France.

An onlooker would have thought Lali looked rather insane, or intensely debating some great philosophy. All he was was hungry.