Episode XXXIV - Gulliver's Travails

            “Well, I can’t jus’ tell you the plan straight off, like,” Gulliver said, leaning in toward Siren conspiratorially, “there’s background first – there’s the fate of your crew!”

            “What happened to them?” Siren demanded, her face flushed with sudden anger.

            “I’m tellin’ you!”

            “Then get on with it, Gulliver, please.”

            “As you wish.”  He leaned back in his chair, adopting a languid, laid-back look, took a deep breath and then began, “The crews were all wary of each other when ‘Arker first came aboard.  ‘E split ‘em in two, so as ‘e ‘ad people what ‘e could trust on both ships an’ then ‘e put ‘is new first mate in charge of the Dusk Raider – a cruel son of a Spiketail from Searingsands – an’ ‘e took charge of the Ebony Crest ‘imself.”

            “You mean… he’d already demoted you?”

            “Oh, yeah.  ‘E said ‘e couldn’t trust me anymore, ‘not as far as I can spit,’ says ‘e an’ ‘e weren’t interested in any protests, such as, ‘actually, you can spit quite far, brother of mine.”

            “Why was that?”

            “Oh,” Gulliver said, suddenly blushing a little, “jus’ little things.  You know what brothers can be like.~”

            “I can’t say that I do,” she replied, shaking her head, “carry on.”

            “Well, anyway, I was of a mind to make it into somethin’ of a self-fulfillin’ prophecy, if you know what I mean.  If ‘e didn’t want me, I didn’t want ‘im, an’ what with the manner of ‘ow you ‘ad lost the Crest, well I was all ready to mutiny.”

            “”Yes, you said you’d left his crew.”

            “Well, technically, I didn’t leave right away.  I ‘ad a plan.”  He grinned with pride.

            “Is this anything like the plan you’re supposed to be telling me right now?”

            “It all rolls into one, Siren, my old friend.  It all rolls into one.”

            “Then can you roll on to the point, please?”

            Gulliver sighed, clearly disappointed that his tale was being cut short.

            “Well, the situation being grim, as it was, I started canvassin’ opinion from your fine old crew members.  Not a single one of ‘em was the least bit ‘appy with the way things were going, but ‘Arker’s other crew members were making it difficult for any of ‘em to leave.  I arranged for an, er… opportunity – a sleepin’ draught place in just the right tankards – then we left ship in the middle of the night whilst we were docked at the Fabled Island of Riches,” he grinned again, “only then we find that we ‘ave no means of leavin’ an’ ‘Arker’s first mate is ‘unting us through the wilds.

            “For three months we-”

            “Three months?  You were stuck on that godsforsaken lump of coal for three months?”

            “Yeah, well, we ‘id in some of the empty tombs an’ the Restless Dead were actually pretty useful for drivin’ the crew of the Crest away.  We discovered that once you’re covered in enough ash an’ bone dust they just treat you like one of their own!”  Anyway we made it to Lootersport eventually an’ made do with small jobs at some of the local taverns what were kind enough to give us food an’ lodgin’ an’ some used bath water until we could afford the passage out.  It wasn’t so bad, all in all, but it’s fair to say that I wasn’t the most popular personage among your old crew mates.”

            “And what of the crew on the Dusk Raider?  You said Harker had split my crew up so some were serving aboard her?”

            “I ‘aven’t been able to get in touch with ‘em.”

            “But you know where all the crew you escaped with are?”

            “Well, I did lose touch with a few of ‘em for a while, but they’ve all drifted back to the ‘arbour ‘ere an’, it seems, all with the same idea in mind.”

            “Which is?”

            “We’re going to steal back your ship – an’ now you’re ‘ere, it’ll be all the easier.”

            “Ellis had remained silent and impassive throughout Gulliver’s account, even those parts that sounded outlandish, or terrifying, as he was starting to get used to hearing such things (although he was unsure he could ever get used to experiencing them first hand), but now he turned to Siren with a wide smile on his face.

            “This is exactly what you want,” he said excitedly, “an opportunity for some swashbuckling pirate action with old friends, culminating in retrieving your ship and sailing it out across the ocean again through the billowing smoke of your enemy’s cannon!”

            Siren raised an eyebrow, let the gesture sink in, then said, “When did you suddenly get so adventurous?”

            Ellis blushed and muttered, “I just really like pirates.”

            “Well, that’s good to know,” Siren said, laughing, before turning back to Gulliver and looking serious once more.  “Okay, Gulliver, I’ll say this just one more time; what, actually – and I’m looking for workable detail here – is your plan?”

            Gulliver frowned, “Well,” he said, sounding a little affronted, “when you put it that way, I don’t s’pose as I actually ‘ave one.”

            Siren let out an exasperated sigh and slumped into her seat.  “Well, that was a waste of time.”

            “What?”  Gulliver’s facial expression had cycled through disappointed and into angry, “but we ‘ave a crew an’ we ‘ave you – ‘ow’s that a waste?”

            “It’s just not enough!  Half a crew against the Dusk Raider and the Ebony Crest?  That’s the beginnings of a fleet for heaven’s sakes!  And do we even know where they are?”

            “We did ‘ave some intelligence as to ‘Arker’s whereabouts, yes.”

            “And?”

            “All the rumours say that both ships will be sailin’ into this ‘arbour in the next week.  There’s never goin’ to be a better time to do this, Siren.  Anyway, ‘ow else do you intend to get what’s rightfully yours, then, eh?”

            “I was saving up some money.”

            “To do what?  Did you think ‘Arker would sell it back to you?  You’d need an ‘ell of a lot more gold than even I can imagine to convince ‘im to sell it now.”

            “I don’t know.  I thought I might be able to win it back, or buy another ship if I had to.”

            “But you can’t give up on the Crest!  Think of all that that ship’s been for you!”

            “It’s just wood, rope and sailcloth, Gulliver, just like any other.”

            “You don’t mean that and you know it.  You was ‘eartbroken when you lost it!”

            “I… I know.. but… we would just lose if we tried to get it back now.  We don’t have enough power.”

            Ellis leapt to his feet, much to the startled confusion of Siren and Gulliver, who stared up at him with wide eyes.

            “That’s it!” he shouted.

            “That’s what?”

            “Power – you said we don’t have enough power.”

            “And we don’t.  What are you getting at?”

            “We don’t have enough power on our own, as just people, but what if were to start applying some of the Former Baron’s ingenuity to the situation?”

            Siren looked doubtful, “I don’t think we should bother him with this – it isn’t his problem and it would need a lot of resources to do anything useful.”

            “Are you kidding?  He’d love it!  And you saw how much gold he has to just throw away.  We could get him to build a steamship, or something like Sydney’s Skyboat, or maybe an army of robotics pirates or-“

            “What’s rubber-tick?”  Gulliver asked, still staring at Ellis like he was mad.

            “Well, whatever, I’m sure he’ll think of something.  It’ll be crazy and it’ll probably explode, but it’s bound to give use the power that we need!”

            Siren smiled and stood up.  “Well,” she said, “I suppose it might just be worth a try.”

            “Where are you goin’?” Gulliver asked as she and Ellis began to make their way across the treacherous floor towards the door.

            “To a little place we know on Tentacle Lane,” Siren replied with a grin, “I’m sure you’d be very welcome to join us.”

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