Not A Profession For A Woman[OPEN]

[[-Kay-]]

"No matter how much we look back at the past, we never go back. We can not change what has already happened."

[/b] She said quietly, looking at the man that was already being brought back up. "Vhat have ve got here?" She asked, strolling forward and looking the man over. She took his chin in hand and turned his face to catch the light a little bit, an amused snort coming from her. "Vhy he is nothing but little boy. Not even old enough to shave, yes?" She turned her back on them, waving a hand. "Slit his throat. Dispose of him in harbor." She dismissed them as she walked towards a merchant who was buying some of the things she had promised to get him for his shop. "Vare is it, old man? Money zat you promised me for ze goods." She had her hand on her hip, where a long, wickedly curved blade hung.One of her crew members, a man who was rather gentle compared to his captain, stepped forward and spoke with the merchant in hushed tones. The merchant nodded, handing the man the money. The man, her First Mate, looked at Celeste, nodding back to the merchant. "See we're all men of our word, except for Captain Celeste, who is in fact, a woman."[/u] Celeste nodded, heading back to a point near her ship. One of her sailors, the Bo'sun looked at the corpse and then back at her. "Shouldn't we have kept to the code, Captain?"[/u] Celeste couldn't help but smile at this. "In my eyes, its more like guidelines zan rules, yes?" She chuckled a bit, her eyes turning back to the runner she had sent to get a package from a man in the city. She strode back up on the gangplank, looking at her crew. "Gentlemen... vhat do keys do?" She asked, looking them over. One man lifted his head from what he was doing. "Keys....unlock tings?"[/u] Her First Mate looked up at her. "And whatever this key unlocks, inside there's something valuable. So we're setting out to find whatever this key unlocks!"[/u] Celeste couldn't help but sigh, shaking her head. "No. If ve don't have key, ve can't open vhatever it is ve don't have zat it unlocks. So vhat purpose vould be served in finding vhatever need be unlocked, vhich ve don't have, vithout first having found key vhat unlocks it?" There were some confused looks from the crew members that were assembled on her boat. "So we're going after this key!"[/u] Celeste sighed exasperatedly, almost covering her eyes with her hand. "You aren't making any sense at all." She looked at her first mate, handing him the box. "Inside it is a dagger. Tonight, you vill go retrieve key from man in Blind Volf. He give you key, you bring it back to me. Give him dagger, it's payment. Understand?" She spoke quickly, lowly and solemnly; never breaking eye contact the whole time. Her First Mate nodded, heading off the ship to do whatever business needed being done. There was a new pirate in this port and she supplied much as to what was needed. She took her long red hair, sweeping it up and piling it into her hat that she stuck back on her head. Now, she could be mistaken for a man should one of her sailors point a stranger to her when her back was turned. She sighed, sitting down on the deck behind the wheel and whittling a bit of wood. Her back was to the staircase, and she was unfocused, not paying attention to anything but the gentle rocking of the boat beneath her.[/size][/blockquote][/ul]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair stared at the dark Ceunon harbor. Hesitation lost battles, both naval and land. However, Alasdair wasn’t hesitating. He was planning. Planning how to sail into the harbor, burn the war and pirate ships, then tow the merchantmen with cargo back out into open waters where his crew could ransack them. Fire, reflected from the city, harbor, and ships, danced in his eyes while the moon glinted above the fire. Alasdair paced momentarily, and then decided. Never had he seen as many ships in harbor as now, and not all of them could be pirate or warships, right? Full speed ahead. Tell the rowers. Unfurl the sails. Archers, tae the rigging. Spearmen, defend the ship. Swords, ye are tae slip over the side, and hammer a cable into the side of any merchant man heavy in the water.[/color] Alasdair watched silently as his crew took their positions, and the Caitríona sailed silently into the quiet harbor. He grinned slightly, but it sent chills down the spine of his first mate.

[[-Kay-]]

A commotion broke out on deck and she jumped up. Celeste headed down the staircase of her ship, looking at the fight that had begun. She flipped her knife around in her hand and threw it, pinning the shirt of one man to the railing. "You're acting like pack of rabid dogs. And zat, gentlemen, simply vill not do" She was a deathly quiet at this point in time, until she turned her head. "Bo'sun!" She shouted for the man to come down from his place where he was checking the rigging. "Fifty lashes. Both men." The two men sputtered and tried to argue when she turned on them both. "You are both damn lucky it's only fifty! Any other captain vould have given you a hundred, each! If you can't handle fifty damned lashings, then I vill have you keel-hauled as soon as ve are out of harbor, yes? Is that vhat you vant? Huh?" She was in close to them both as she yelled at them. Oh, she was irked now. She took a couple steps back, allowing the Bo'sun to get in and grab them, dragging them both to the pole. Her Bo'sun was a big man, with skin the color of dark ebony. "Voltair! Rope them tight. Don't vant them to get loose, da? Men vhat fight like rabid dogs, get beaten like mangy curs they are." She took a couple steps back, and grabbed the cat o' nine tails from a hook and handed it to Voltaire. "Mr. Mercer. Please come here." She said, casting a glance over her shoulder as he walked forward. Her thick Slavic accent had it's slightly rolled r's and non-existant "W's" as she spoke again. "You too vill help to punish them, yes?" The man blanched a bit but took the other whip as she handed it to him. "Neither of you are to pull your blows. Do not be gentle vith them. They deserve vhat they get. I made it clear. No fighting on my ship." She stalked to the upper deck where the wheel was, lighting a lantern as she settled herselt on the railing sideways, content to lean back against the high edging and clean the sword at her hip. As she drew it, the long wicked blade glinted in the lantern light, the reflection bright as any from a Rider's sword. Starsteel was hard to come by, but she had managed to do it in this blade. She had procured the blade from a merchant a long time ago, keeping the starsteel blade to a razor thin edge. It was rumored that such blades seemed to catch the light of even the stars, but in truth it was rumor. It did reflect quite a bit though. Celeste turned her head, watching as Alasdair's ship came into harbor. The redhead ran a hand over the smooth railing of the Sparrow. It wasn't exactly the biggest frigate in the harbor, but it was riding a little lower in the water than it usually did, seeing as it was unloading cargo that she had plundered off a fat little merchant near the whirlpool to the South. She kept an eye on the ship, noting the men in the rigging of it as she listened to the screams of two of her sailors being flogged below. It was bone-chilling that noise. The whistle of the leather through the air and the flesh-splitting crack as it layed open his back. The noise the man made soon after made even the most experienced sailors cringe, but nobody had a law against a captain punishing their sailors and punish them she did.

[/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

It is not standard naval doctrine to burn warships in harbor, and then steal the merchantmen. Most pirates sailed small, light, maneuverable ships. Most pirates follow usual piratical standard naval doctrine: wait for a ship outside of the harbor, and then steal it. Alasdair wasn’t most pirates, and he was not most warship captains. He was Alasdair MacKenzie; former Earl, soldier, thief, and most certainly, Alasdair was an Alban. Most Albans are not pirates. Already, he had revolutionized armored warfare on horseback in Alba. His innovations had yet to make it to Alagaësia, such as they were: let the archers pluck the armored nobles off their horses, then let the mace armed clansmen finish them off as a Highland charge shattered the line of spearmen. Alasdair hadn’t exactly enjoyed coming up with that, but in one of the battles following his father’s death, it had been necessary. Now, Alasdair was a pirate, and he intended to use that intelligence and wit which had served so well during that time period, to better keep his ship and crew alive. Which explained his current circumstances. Aroughs to the south was too far to the south, to stay safe from privateers out for his head. Teirm was off limits, though Genji paid good money to keep it that way, which left Ceunon and her natural harbor his only testing ground, unless he wished to raid Feinster or Kuasta. Both also had him running protection, but not nearly the scale Teirm did. The first firings were started as screams echoed across the water. Must be some captain disciplining some unruly crewmember. Which is why I don’t do that, by Dagda. They know I won’t flog them. I will beat them to a pulp, but that’s immediate. Floggings need to be set up. And immediate discipline is the best, by Dagda. ”Now, Flan. Alert the archers to begin holing the rigging and canvases of the other ships, all of them.”[/color] Flan relayed Alasdair’s orders, like any good first mate should, and then the archers began firing, plucking numerous holes in numerous sails.

[[-Kay-]]

The screaming of the men echoed across the waters, sending shivers up the spines of some soldiers. But the sound didn't muffle the whistling of arrows through the air. Celeste turned, stalking into her cabin and brought out a bow herself. She trained her eyes on the ship that fired the arrows. She grasped the arrow by the shaft, stabbing it into a lantern on the railing of the ship, the sound of shattering glass permeating the air. She notched the fire coated arrow, letting it loose at Alasdair's ship. She seen it hit, but she didn't know where. "That's vhat you get for trying to put holes in my ship!" She turned her irritated gaze to the Bo'sun, shouting commands as she did so. An arrow ripped past her head, and she glared at the ship. "Get your thrice cursed hides moving, you vorthless pieces of filth! Haul the sails, don't let anymore holes get put in them." She didn't order the ship moving, no, that would work against her cause. She let loose several more warning shots that peppered Alasdair's ship. Whether any of them hit him she couldn't see, all she knew was that she caught a glimpse of a rather large bunch of men on that ship. Her own sailors were average sized men, none of them overly massive, save for Voltaire. But he had come from a land where people of his race grew to extreme sizes. The big dark man came over to her, looking down at the much smaller woman. "Captain....do you think perhaps you should make peace with the other captain first?"

[/u] Celeste looked up at him, a smirk on her face. "Other pirates means competition, moi dorogoi drug." She smiled a bit. "Besides, it's just good business. So long as he doesn't hurl insults I von't get too aggressive vith his ship." She laughed a bit at this, going up to where she had been sitting and leaning back against the wooden bit of her ship, happy to be sitting on the railing. She closed her eyes, ignoring the sound of rope creaking against a hinge. But it finally caught her attention. She opened her eyes, only to see Voltaire and several other men nailing a flag to the mast. It was a symbol seen on very few ships anymore. The nailing of the flag was a symbol of peace and surrender should another ship become aggressive. It signaled that no resistance would be put up. It was different than the white flag of surrender that was often run up. Celeste jumped down, Voltaire standing in the center of the stairs. "The ship would overtake us in an instant. There's no way we would stand a chance and you know it."[/u] She glared at him. "I don't give one single damn! I didn't give you permission to surrender my ship to any man that vants to plunder it!" A string of vibrant and rather explicit cursing came spouting from her as she stalked back towards the wheel, ripping the dagger from it's sheath. She threw it, the blade plunging a good two inches into the wood. "Ve better not end up dead because of this Voltaire." She growled, a dark glare on her face. "And you had better not send anyone up here if they board my goddamned ship. I don't vant to speak to anyone." She sat down, leaning back against the railing as she did so. The lantern that had been on the corner was destroyed when she had fired the warning shot at Alasdair's ship. Now she sat in complete darkness, not a single part of her showing in the bright moonlight as it cast a deep shadow over her. All that showed she existed there was the insistent thunk of metal as it buried itself deep in the wood. She felt something knock against her ship, but didn't know what it was. All she knew was that she was in a rather dark humor at this point in time.[/blockquote][/size]

[phrostphyre]

The first crew men slipped off into the water with their mallets, cable, and spikes. Alasdair watched several for a moment, the fondly regarded his first mate. ”Flan, me lad, ‘tis not often ye see an entire harbor lighting up in flames. ‘Tis a grand sight, so it is.”[/color] Flan agreed, and then at nod from Alasdair, he handed Alasdair a claymore. A massive beast of a sword, Alasdair’s was five feet and three inches, and it weighed near fifteen pounds. An archer in the rigging distracted Alasdair and Flan from their preparations, and to another warship. A flag was being nailed to the main mast. Alasdair snorted, and then picked four of the assorted crewmen standing around looking pretty. They followed him to the aft end of the ship, where they waited to pass by the submitting ship. As the two neared, Alasdair jumped, the four men jumped, and then they were on the other ship. Alasdair stuck his claymore into the wood in between his feet, as his men spread out behind him. ”By the right of might, this ship and her crew are mine. If the captain and officers would step forward, I believe we could come to an agreement as to what exactly I intend to do with this ship.”

[[-Kay-]]

Voltaire shifted his weight a bit as the other men came on board. He was the only officer on board, besides Celeste; who incidentally showed no signs of coming down on deck or discontinuing her sulk. He sighed, shaking his head. He cast a glance up at the wheel, the incessant thunking of a dagger sinking into wood coming from there. Shaking his head again, he turned his attention back to Alasdair and his men. "I'm the only officer on board, at the moment. Our captain is having a bit of a sulk and refuses to speak to anybody who may have boarded the ship. Captain won't listen to me. Told me we had all better not end up dead. You can go up and see if you can lure the Captain out. Probably won't do you much good though. Once the Captain sets to sulking it's best to just leave it alone."

[/u] Celeste heard what he said, taking the short dagger out of the wood and lobbing it over the railing, where it plunged into the wood just short of Voltaire's head. "Oh. And I'd watch out for that. Captain's got a bit of a temper."[/u] He laughed a bit at this now, knowing it would torment her. He hoped, vaguely, that it might lure her out. He so loved to draw her out when she was angry, knowing it would always end interestingly. But she didn't budge. The girl was set in her sulk and was settling back to sharpen the wickedly curved starsteel at her belt. Instead of a thunk, now it was the rasp of steel over and over. Voltaire shook his head again. "Always acting like a child that doesn't get it's way!"[/u] He said, looking up at the wheel, chuckling even though it would probably get the rock thrown at him. He couldn't help it. Celeste amused him. [/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair nodded to the four behind him and they spread out, beginning to search the ship. Alasdair himself merely paced across the deck, listening as the first officer explained himself. He nodded, and then rubbed at his eyes. I don’t need this. A trouble making first officer, and a female sulky captain. This ship is a bloody madhouse. I don’t need this. He stood for a few moments, thinking. He had always wanted a fleet, and if he had two ships, Alasdair could extend his pirating to another nation, or even further up and down the coast. ”As of now, this ship is under my command as Commodore MacKenzie, of the Provisional Teirm Fleet. The current crew and captain shall remain on this ship and continue to serve as their current position. The captain takes orders from me. Three rules I expect to be enforced: You don’t get drunk unless I or the captain says so, you fight like demons, and you don’t steal from anyone other than the targeted ship or town. If any of these are broken on my ship, I beat the offender into a senseless pulp. I expect the same here. Now, first mate, carry about your business. We’re currently attempting to rope any merchant men to the Caitriona, and sink any warships. Those are my standing orders for my ship, and they’ll be carried out here.[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Voltaire cleared his throat a bit, shifting his weight a bit unconciously. "You're not quite understanding me, Commodore..."

[/u] He said, taking a few steps forward and beckoning him towards a part of the ship where none of the men stood. "You see, I only follow Miss Celeste's orders. The same with the rest of the crew. You'll have to convince her to give the orders. It's a matter of loyalty, you understand. I'm sorry if it seems like insubordination, but unless you want the whole crew to resent you, I suggest you try and reason with her. After all, she's not that mean...."[/i] A rather resentfully colorful string of cursing was heard from above as she chucked her whetstone at a sailor that had come up to try and reason with her. "Well...not all the time anyway. I wish you the best of luck with this. Just..mind you, be gentle with her. Harming her won't help you rally the crews support."[/u] Voltaire shrugged, walking towards the staircase that led to the wheel. "Miss Celeste, there's a Commodore MacKenzie here to speak to you. I trust you'll NOT be stabbing him?"[/u] Celeste glared at Voltaire. "Voltaire, you thrice-cursed rat. I'll stab you if you take another step. Send him up if you must. But I don't promise to play nicely." Voltaire chuckled a bit at this. "No one ever claimed you played nicely with others, Miss Celeste."[/u][/blockquote][/size][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair followed, then glared imperiously. He was the scourge of these seas. He was King of all he surveyed, if he so chose. He hadn't chosen. Yet. But he would start. By building a fleet to secure the sea, so he could secure the land. He who controlled the sea controlled the land, and the world."You'll all be put to the sword and the ship scuttled, everything on it included. Unless you join me, and then I can make you all rich beyond your wildest dreams. I was an Earl in my homeland. Here, in Alagaesia, I will be a King. And Kings need nobles to help dispense justice. Refuse, and this ship will burn. Did I say that already? Anyway, I need a fleet to control the sea, in order to control the land. I need a fleet of loyal followers, not discontent bastard whoresons. Savvy?[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste sighed and tromped down the stairs, finally fed up with it all. She glared at the man standing on her deck, the so called "Commodore". She stood about a foot from him, glaring straight up at him. He was a good head and a half taller than her, if not more, so she had to look up to see him. She tilted her head back, a scruitinizing look on her face....well that and a scowl. "And who the hell are you?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. Voltaire cleared his throat, taking Celeste by the elbow and having her take a few steps backwards. "Miss Celeste. I don't think that you ought to be so riled up. It's not good for you, you know."

[/u] He said softly, looking the woman over once. Checking for any self-inflicted injury or accidental one at that. He was tired of having to find surgeons to check her over and stitch her up. "Oh shut up, Voltaire. Y'don't need t'be tellin me what I can and cannot do. It's a baby, not a bomb. I think I know how to handle this better than you do." She glared up at Voltaire, her hair falling over one eye as she did so, being as she had taken her hat off and whacked him in the arm with it. She blew her hair out her face, still looking at him for a moment before she turned her gaze back to Alasdair, tossing her hair with that same movement. "So I hear that your wanting to commandeer my ship, eh Commodore? You see what I did there? That rhymed. Anyhow, I'm not quite sure I'm in the mood to have my ship taken away from my command. There's only a few ways that'll happen. If you stab me, capture me and throw me in the brig, or somehow manage to persuade me to give up the fight. So which will it be, eh?" She smirked, putting one hand on her hip, while the other rested on her sword. Her head was tilted to one side, reminiscent of a rather curious puppy. Voltaire sighed, shaking his head. He knew this wouldn't end well.[/size][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair listened carefully. So. She was carrying a child. He checked her hands carefully. No rings. Single. A baby, hm? Well. That certainly made the game far more interesting, as far as Alasdair was concerned. Several things ran around each other in his head, namely the baby and how he could turn it to his advantage. He could kidnap her and use the baby as leverage. He could forcibly marry her, thus gaining the right to all she owned. Or, he could do it the honorable, noble, gentlemanly way. Something Alasdair hadn't often been able to do as a pirate.

"I, madam, am Alasdair MacKenzie, the Pretender to the Earldom of Kintail, and captain of the Caitriona I'll dispense with the threats. I've tossed enough of those around tonight. Instead, I shall tell you something not many know: I don't kill women and children. Pregnant women count. I was bluffing about you. But the rest of your crew, not so much. However, let's leave that for the moment. You are carrying a child. I can only assume, it is not the product of a loving marriage, or even an arranged marriage. I continue to assume it is not, the product of a marriage in all but name. Am I correct? I believe I am. There fore, I shall continue to assume that it is the product of rape, the most abhorrent crime a man can commit. My land views rape as worse than murder. Therefore, and all this is only an assumption, madam, that you do not particularly like the father of your child. I can aid in this. I have a patron, the Count of Teirm. He pays me, and I don't attack ships with Itasan flags, Teirm flags, Teirm itself, and the surrounding area. However, in addition to being paid, I can make use of his network of spies. I have done so quite infrequently, and thus have not worn out my welcome there. I propose to use this, my skill set, and my private funds to avenge yourself and your honor, and I also further propose to give your child a father: Myself. Though I am a pirate, I am not a bad or evil man. I just try to survive, keep my crew alive, and make something better for us all. However, the father of your child is an evil man, and evil men need justice done, even if the justice is outside of the law. I propose to be this justice. I shall quite probably castrate the fellow, make him eat his manhood, and then hang, draw, and quarter him. And then? I'm going to get drunk, because a fellow eating his own member isn't a pleasant sight, even after several years of being a ruthless bastard when necessary.

Of course, that's all only if my assumption is correct."

[[-Kay-]]

"Thank you for your assumptions, Captain MacKenzie. I do enjoy hearing a bunch of theories as to how I got to be the way I am, Lord knows I haven't heard enough of them. You're right. It's most certainly NOT the product of a marriage of any sort. My father has been dead and buried for atleast six years. There's no possible way he could have arranged a marriage for me. After all, I wasn't the most agreeable child, just ask Voltaire." Celeste laughed a bit at this, shaking her head as she kept her arms folded over her chest, regarding him with a skeptical look that seemed to just scream 'Uhuh, right, sure'. She listened politely though. Until she snorted a bit after he finished speaking. This was where her posture and expression came into actual words. "Right. Uhuh. Sure. Don't try and make yourself seem like the good guy here, Captain MacKenzie." She almost sneered his name when she spoke it. "All you want is my ship, just come out and say it. I'm not daft. If anyone here is mad, it's you by thinking I'm stupid enough to just give up the game as it is. As for your earlier assumptions, you're correct. No, I do not particularly like the child's father. That's why, given the first chance I had, I tortured the bastard within an inch of his life and then slit his throat. I'm awfully pleasant in that aspect, aren't I? Anyhow, why didn't you just come out and say it, eh? Single woman, pirating about on the high seas, a warship under her command, stuck with a child she never wanted, AND you with the ability to take it all away. Quite the opportunity to build your fleet, Captain. Taking a ship like the Sparrow would be quite helpful, not to mention gaining infamy for taking out one of the few pirates in the area, not to mention the only one that's actually good at what they do and can manage to outrun Broddring's warships that have been sent after them. You're only interested in infamy, fortune and power." She smirked, recrossing her arms. She had moved them during her speech to take a step or two forward, poke Alasdair in the chest while speaking, and then refolded them while putting her hat back atop her noggin.

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair stood with the posture of a man who knows that he was powerful. Alasdair was sober; something he hadn't been in a long time. His hands stayed at his side, never nearing his sword, save for the claymore stuck into the decking before him. He smiled disarmingly, then spoke. "Wrong, madam. I am not fortune, fame, and power hungry. I don't want fame. I simply want to be rich, so my men are rich. I want power so my men don't have to keep looting and pillaging, not that it's not quite fun. I could take this ship by force, true. But that would mean putting you all to the sword, and then who would crew it? No, if I am evil, let it never be said I was not pragmatically evil. I do you want your ship. I also need it. To control the land, I need control of the sea. To control the sea, I need a fleet. You won't join? I could very well hold your child hostage, even unborn. I could. I won't. James, disable the rudder.
Vanya, slash the anchor rope. If it's a chain, burn it. After that, both of you return. As it seems that you shan't join me, I'll disable your ship and leave you here for the authorities to find. Because of your child, they'll let you live until the wee bairn is born. Then they'll hang you. But the wee cute little thing'll go to a fair family. My hands stay clean; I didn't kill a mother or child. I look merciful towards those who surrender; it was just a shame the authorities found you. I win. And that's all that matters."[/color]

(OOC: We all know the drill. The italics is Gaelic.)

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste glared at him, listening to the words he spoke. She had a level head until he started going on about disabling the ship and leaving her there for the Count of Teirm's men. She lashed out, knowing not whether she managed to punch the man in the face or not. She sincerly hoped so. She was rather peeved. "Don't you dare touch my damned rudder or anchor! I'll have your damned heads, you cowards. Disable a ship?! Why?! Why disable the Sparrow when you could just as well capture her and use her on the seas? I'd rather see this ship in your hands than in the hands of Broddring." She wasn't in a good mood at this point, and had she been unrestrained she'd have probably made an attempt to stab Alasdair. But given the fact she didn't have her hands free, who had them she didn't know, she couldn't very well make another violent attempt towards the Captain of the Caitriona. "Why don't you just do it, huh? Why not just have me sent to your godforsaken brig and be done with it? Leave Voltaire in charge of the Sparrow. He'd be a better captain than myself any day. He's actually got a good head on his shoulders. That's why I chose him. He'll listen to your orders. I'll give in, sure. But only to keep these men from the gallows. I chose them because they're good men, albeit ones who take a liking to pillaging." She wasn't happy to say these words in the least. Voltaire chuckled a bit, giving her a bit of an affectionate look. "How did those words taste coming out of your mouth?"

[/u] He enjoyed teasing her. She was like the little sister he never had. "Like vinegar.." She did give him a bit of a dirty look at this, ignoring the hands wrapped around her wrists. Celeste was not happy. Oh no, she was not happy indeed.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair knew it was coming. All the same, it still felt like Hell when the blow slammed into his stomach. It forced the air out of his lungs, but he stepped back slightly to lessen the impact, and not shatter his spleen. He had seen it happen, and had no desire to feel it. He grabbed her wrists and held them up to prevent her hurting herself. As the girl, for she couldn't be more than twenty one, stopped speaking, Alasdair laughed quietly. "Well, it's a good thing I won't be needing to follow through. When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you. You have gone to your knees. Let me help you back onto your feet.What's the crew's morale like? Have they been paid recently? If there are any on shore, I want Voltaire to send a runner and retrieve them. Prepare for a departure; James, Vanya, and myself will assit in the rigging of patches in the holes in your sails."[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste was glad to see that the blow had atleast done a little bit of damage. However, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the bit about helping up ones enemy. Her philosophy was more along the lines of "knock ones enemies to their knees, and then lop off their mangy head." She sighed, though, listening as he spoke to her yet again. "Crews morale is high, just paid thismorning and we took a large prize three days ago. The ship wasn't salvageable so we burned it and let it sink." She turned to Voltaire, giving him the nod to let him know it was acceptable to send a runner on shore. "The only one we have out right now is one of my personal runners, retrieving an item that I needed from an operative her in Ceunon." She sighed, shaking her head and glancing at her hands. "You gonna let me go or put me in irons so as not to injure myself or anyone else on the ship?"

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair nodded thoughtfully. He addressed the girl's question first, but then raised his voice to include the whole ship. "Good, good. Thank you. No. I'll need to return to my other ship. I'll leave you in command here. But think about my other offer; a father for the child. Listen up, you whorespawn! You sail under my overall command, but your captain remains officer in charge on the spot! You sons of bitches are mine, now! I have three rules, for the bastards that fight under my banner. One: You do not get drunk without my or Celeste's leave! Two: You do not steal from each other or the townspeople where you're docked, unless it's to survive! Three: You will fight like demons! If you disobey on my personal ship, I will beat the shit out of you. You disobey on this ship, and the man I leave behind will act as me and beat the shit out of you! I am serious! I punched a man hard enough to make him shit himself. None of you will be spared! They are RULES! You live by them! You die by them! Or by the gods, I will kill you myself!"[/color] As an aside, Alasdair spoke to Vanya, a man from even farther north than Alasdair and the wastes of Skandia. "Vanya, I'll be leaving you on the ship. You are me, in my absence. IF they break the rules, beat the shit out of them. If they mutiny, kill them. The lady Celeste is myself in all other matters, save discipline and mutiny. You two are going to be stuck with the other. While I'm here, get any petty squabbles you might have out of your system."[/color]

[[-Kay-]]

Celeste looked at Alasdair a bit....skeptically as he spoke. After he finally finished his little monologue, she rubbed her wrists a bit, having managed to get them free while he was ranting and raving about order on 'his' ship. "Hmm. I don't know if I like him. Simply by default of name and the fact I'm going to have to work with him. And another thing. How come he gets to be in charge of discipline? My men have always worked just fine without having the life beat out of them at every given opportunity, thank you very much. All you need to do now and again is make an example out of one with a good flogging and you've got an obedient crew for the next six months." She shrugged, looking her crew over. "Then again, what could I possibly know? I haven't lived, eaten, fought alongside, and slept on the same ship as these men for the last few years. How could I possibly know what makes each and every one of them tick? Oh and don't worry. I'll figure you out soon Vanya." She got a very.....mischevious and rather feral grin at this point in time. "I'll have you wrapped around my little finger before the month is out. Mark my words, you will be." She laughed a bit, casting a sharp whistle over her shoulder. She turned, giving her crew a once over. "Hop to it, you mangy dogs! There's not too many holes up there and you lot are gonna fix em! Unless you want me to go up there and do it..." She let the last part of the suggestion trail off, smiling a bit more as they bustled about to do it. They hated letting her go up in the rigging. They were always afraid she'd do something stupid and get herself killed. She turned her head and looked at Alasdair. "And that's how you get something done without having to move. In my case, all I have to do is threaten to do it myself and they all run to do it. Wonderful trick to have, they're all like little trained monkeys. Nothing wrong with little monkeys, though. Rascal is a wonderful little creature." She smiled a bit less...wolfishly for a moment, but it was only a moment after all. Oh she was coming up with a world of ideas to get back at him. It was only a matter of time before she had a really good one and put it into action.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

Alasdair grinned as Vanya and Celeste sniped at each other. At least he didn't have to take off his coat. Such a bother, that. "Beat them, and they can fight tomorrow. Flog them, all they can do is puke for the next week. I'd rather have all my men fighting fit, if a bit bruised, rather than have a third of the crew flogged and puking for a week. And as to leadership, my men know I've done it myself. They know that I can still rig a sail. They also know that I'm the captain. Either they toe the line I set, they're off, or they're dead. It works."[/color]