...And now back to your regularly scheduled voyage:
Tradewinds 11: Honor Among ThievesSummary: Wherein an unexpected encounter brings things full circle…
Categories: Original Fiction
Characters: None
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Rated: R
Warnings: Death, Graphic Violence, Violence
Series: Tradewinds
Challenges: None
Published: 08/06/11
http://www.absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=10666excerpt, from Chapter 1:
…The vessel itself was noticeably larger than theirs, and they marked at least twenty people on deck. Lots of weapons, too, in that ragtag crowd. What held all of their attention, though, was the black flag.
“Pirates,” Max muttered.
The setup looked right. There was also a smaller ship tethered next to them. To all three of them, it looked like they got boarded.
“I don’t think they’ve noticed us yet,” Justin pointed out, not wanting to tangle with them, “so I think it would be a good idea to get the hell outta here before they do.”
Shades was still floored at times by how things were done in this world. They still fly the Jolly Roger here? He was about to concur with Justin’s plan when he spotted something else, saying, “Say, doesn’t that other ship look familiar to you?”
Sure enough, there was something familiar about the other ship over there, smaller than the Maximum, and so completely dwarfed by the ship looming over it that it was hard not to think of the two as predator and prey. And it didn’t just look familiar to Shades; Max and Justin were also pretty sure they’d seen it before. The name was the last confirmation they needed.
Triad III.
“Looks like her bad karma’s finally caught up with her,” Shades remarked.
“Ha!” Justin snorted. “Got what you deserve, you stupid bitch…”
“So,” Max asked his companions, even as he tried to decide for himself, “do we turn away and leave, or do we join in the fight?”
“Why the hell would I want to help them!?” Justin demanded.
“We’ll have to,” Max reminded them, “to get our Tri-Medals back.”
Shades honestly wished he hadn’t brought that back up again. Just when Justin finally seemed to have dropped it. Pushing the limits of the binoculars’ range, he managed to make out Kato’s face in the crowd, remarking, “Sure are a lot of women onboard…”
“Probably Cyexians,” Justin commented. Based on all he’d heard, he could fairly guess how it was done. “I bet they were lured here with some kind of distress signal, and probably all that smoke, and by the time they knew what was up, it was too late.”
“In Brazen Defiance…” Max read. “Definitely a Cyexian ship.”
“I see…” Shades remarked, contemplating these pirates’ tactics. Looking at the shortwave radio at their own helm, pondering its range. No Coast Guard out here. No Navy, either. No one can here you scream out here. “I think we’re out of our league challenging these guys…”
“Luring victims with phony distress signals…” Max knew there were some hard and fast laws of the sea that were so ancient as to be thought sacred. That only the most callous and depraved would ignore. Now that these seagoing predators had found their prey, the skull and crossbones flew as a warning to any passing ships.
Just keep sailing, Shades thought, Nothing to see here, folks. Repeat, just keep…
But Max had no intention of looking the other way.
“You’re not thinkin’…” Shades began…
And so the tale continues...
Author
Topic: shadesmaclean/Tradewinds updates (Read 44566 times)