Pirate Island - The Pirate Ship Part II
Posted on Tue Dec 24th, 2019 @ 4:26pm by Lieutenant Paul Michael & Major Cornelius Tremble & Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayde & Ensign Auba Lyna & Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhara Rynn
Edited on on Wed Dec 25th, 2019 @ 2:31am
1,492 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Marooned!
Location: Holodeck - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 2030 hrs
Paul leaned over and picked up a branch, ripped his sleeve off, wrapped it around the end of the branch and wiped the cloth on the algae. "You're right, this could prove useful."
"Clever," Zhara said, smiling. "That makes you the leader."
Jayde nodded. "I'll take rear." She adjusted the grip on her knife as she took up her position.
Paul looked at Zhara. "It was your idea, so it was a team effort." He led the team through the narrowing cave, until they came to a tunnel. There was a messaged etched with what looked like chalk. The message read, "Beware the Smoke Monster." "Great...another monster." He raised the stick that held the algae light and saw that the tunnel descended. "Stay close people." He started down the tunnel, holding the algae light in front of him.
There were vines lining the walls. How they survived without sun surprised them. He ripped one down and tried to break it apart. It took some effort but it finally broke in his hand. He pulled down more, entwined them to form an equivalent to a rope. Then he wrapped a length around his waist, and had the others do the same, this way, if someone slipped, the others could pulled them up.
Zhara walked behind Paul and Auba, looking around for anything of interest, or that could help them with their quest.
Jayde listened to the sounds around them. So far, it looked like they were alone. At least for now. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim light. It looked like others had come this way before, but it was hard to tell how long ago.
Michael stopped when he saw the ship beached on a small island. He could hear something moving about.
"Let's go check that ship...there might be weapons on it." As he walked closer to the ship, he saw the skeleton sitting at a table.
"So, what is he waiting for?" Jayde asked, looking over the skeleton.
"Hopefully not us," Zhara added.
Paul walked over to the table to check on the skeleton. He notice a sword in it's sheath, hanging around the waist of the dead man. Carefully, Paul removed the sword from the body, and tied it on to his waist....then the skeleton turned to dust before them.
From the area around the table, a voice sounds "Well, that's for One Eyed Willy, though he was a boring conversationalist for the past couple of hundred years. Still...."
Upon the table, rests a cask and several mugs sit about. A face appears in the cask to match the voice, it's wooden eyes making wood on wood noises as they rotate.
"Do you want conversation, or a drink?" Jayde asked the cask.
Paul looked at the cask, and did a quick survey of the area. He felt better now that he had a proper weapon on his hip.
Auba spoke to the cask. "What did Willy die of? Boredom?"
"Willy had a weak will. I think he died due to his liver walking out on him. Stupid liver. Then the fish ate it. Hey, what are you lot doing here anyway? This is pretty close to a watery grave after all, the Cask asked."
"We're looking for a way out of here, when we stumbled across you and the ship." Auba responded.
Zhara continued to look around for anything else of interest.
While Auba talked with the cask, Paul boarded the ship to have a look around. He had his sword in his right hand as he searched. On the main deck, there were opened crates that no longer held anything. Skeletons of humans and small animals littered the deck.
Paul climbed down the ladder to the ship's next deck. The same things he saw on the top deck, he saw here, but he also found some more swords and a couple of spears/lances. He gathered the things together and climbed back up.
Jayde grew tired of the cask and began to look around for anything they could use to fight with or to get them to the end of this quest. That gave her an idea. She went back to the cask. "How do we get out of here?" she asked it.
Paul climbed down off the ship, and handed out the weapons he found to the others.
"Thank you," Jayde said, checking the balance of her sword. Satisfided, she nodded.
Zhara took one and bounced it to test the weight. She wasn't great with a sword, but she could thrust well enough.
The cask's eyes make a clattering noise as it looks at Jayde and smiled woodenly.
now you’ve met me
If you want out of here,
then listen to me
All grasp my top,
Close your eyes
and count to three
When you open them up,
you’ll be swimming free
Now you might think I’m daft,
and be prone to ignore
It’s your choice, but there’s no time for more
Hoist one to me when, if, you reach shore
Now do as I say, and you’ll all be brave Bobs
Don’t, and you’ll be swimming with the mob
One last thing, don’t try to be brave,
Willy’s getting his watery grave
With the casks last words, a rushing of water can be heard. Looking around, water begins to pour out of the openings of the ship and streaming down the walls, filling the cavern rapidly, reaching up to mid-knee in a matter of seconds.
"Everyone! Place a hand on the cask." Paul placed his hand on the cask, along with Auba. "Then do as it said, close your eyes and count to three."
Jayde and Zhara quickly followed suit. They put a hand on the cask and closed their eyes.
Paul did the countdown. "One....two...three."
As you count, you feel the cool water begin to lap up your legs and you find yourself floating free. Abruptly the wooden cask disappears from your grasp and when you open your eyes, you find yourself...somehow...within the cask itself? Wood walls surround and water raises rapidly and as you near the top, you seem clear blue sky!
Abruptly, with what sound like a belch you're expelled from the cask and sent sailing into the air, only to splash down into sea water. Bobbing to the surface, you note that the tide seems to be in your favor and the water actually seems to grab ahold of you, propelling you toward the beach.
Jayde relaxed and let the wave push her to shore. She put her feet down, wading out of the sea. "That was quite the adventure."
"It's not over yet," Zhara said, coming up beside her. Her skirts were sodden and she was grateful she didn't have to swim.
"I'm getting very tired of this nonsense." He shook the sand off his clothes.
Auba saw the tent down the beach. "Look." Everyone started walking closer to the tent. And when they saw the bodies, they all lifted their weapons.
Then Paul saw the banner. "That's our way out. Seems we may have to fight out way out."
"I hope not." Zhara sighed. She was a counselor, not a fighter.
"We can try talking to them first," Jayde said. "But if they attack, we'll have to defend ourselves."
Paul slowly walked towards the male and female who stepped out of the tent. He kept his hands out in front of him, a sign of peace. "Hello, we mean you no harm."
Auba stayed close to Paul. If the aliens made a hostile move, she was ready to fight.
Abruptly, the lead female snaps her fingers and two of the dark skinned men, each holding two spears in hand, take two graceful, quick steps forward, casting a spear each in your general direction. The spears thump into the sand, quivering approximately a yard from paul's feet, separated a shoulder's width apart.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Paul Michael
Assistant Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant JG Mira Jayde
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant JG Zhara Rynn
Counselor, USS Pioneer
Ensign Auba Lyna
Security Officer, USS Pioneer
Captain Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
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