Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

"I want to talk to Dianav." Vega said, softly, to her cousin . He nodded but frowned. The attack of just a short time ago had meant that Sweetsong had needed to stand up to not one, but three attacking Pirate Lord ships. However, one of the more surprising events of the trial had been the Pirate King turning up to help them. "Huw, I need to know what happens now," Vega explained. "I need to understand what those who were attackin' us will do now that we whupped them. Because there's people behind this, I know there is." She gave a slight shrug. "I'm goin' to talk to him an' I'm goin' to talk to him alone, ok. It's the safest way an' you can't stop me anyhow."

He looked at her dubiously, but nodded and didn't argue. He began to move and she took the chance to watch, just for a moment. Huw was acting, getting people sorted and so Vega lifted her head and looked for Martha. Her dragonling swooped down and Vega gently pressed her hand against the dragonling's neck and she whispered softly. "I know it's been a long old evenin', an' we're not sleepin' yet. But jus' a lil bit longer a'righ?" She knew that the attack had been stressful on their animals and Martha needed reassurance.

As the pair of them took off, Vega checked over the Pirate Lord's ship, looking at the state of it, that kind of thing. He'd come ashore earlier and spoken to her, Winston, Kisaik and Jasper , but there were questions she had that needed more answering. Things that she'd thought about and which needed addressing.

Because, more than anything she knew that she had to protect the people here - but there were other people, other places.

So, Vega moved over to the Pirate King, as he had been known, and she landed on the deck of his vessel and smiled a tight and not-very-amused smile at his crew. "I'm here to talk to the captain," she said. One of the pirates looked at her and spoke in a slightly mocking tone. "Don't you mean the king? His majesty?" Vega sighed. "No, I don't mean that. I mean the captain o' the ship. I'm affordin' him that respect, but I don't pay attention to none of your pirate titles. The fact that you're proud of bein' part of somethin' that means you're murderin' an' harmin' on a daily basis tells me that you're an idiot. So go away, little man, before I get irritated an' decide to teach you a lesson."

He was going to argue, she knew. He was going to argue and she was going to end up adding another one to the number of people she killed. Normally, that wouldn't be the immediate thought, but the fact that these people were - when all was said and done - pirates meant that they went from zero to dead in very few trills as far as Vega was concerned.

"Hold there!" the voice that boomed out was that of the Pirate King himself and Vega kept her gaze on the dweeb who had given her backchat. "My crew here are pleased to welcome Vega Creede to our ship," he said. The dweeb paled a little and Vega got a sense of satisfaction about that. Still, she had to fight back the urge to just push him overboard.

"Thanks," she said to Dianav. "I wonder if we could talk about some stuff? I know you came an' chatted but I've got some follow up questions." He nodded and led her down to his cabin. "I'm sorry about that," he said to her - apparently genuinely, Vega thought. "You aren't responsible for him bein' an ass," she said, firmly. "He owns that all himself."

He gestured for her to sit and Vega looked around the room. How much of this luxury that she was seeing was pillaged? How much of it had belonged to others? She didn't know, but the look on her face spoke volumes. Dianav watched her but said nothing. Vega was pleased, in truth, that he didn't try and persuade her that his way of life was anything except abhorrent. However, he did deal with it in a way that worked. "They're grateful, you know. We all are. It's rare to get a second chance, a chance to change. We appreciate it." Vega looked at him and nodded her head. "I don't think it's goin' to be easy an' if he don't learn to shut his trap, he's gonna make it harder for all o'you." The pirate king nodded, but said no more.

"You had questions?" He asked and Vega nodded.

"We talked to you about Sweetsong, an' largely around that. But it got me thinkin'," she said. Vega was a keen tactitian, but she also understood people . "I don't buy it. There were attacks all over Scalvoris, an' that means that this were well-planned. The first step in any plan is to know what you're attackin' so they knew I were here an' that's why they sent three people. An' that leadst ot he next question, don't it?" She gazed at the Pirate King and her gaze held the sure knowledge that she could - easily - kill him and every one of his crew. "There were a reason for this. Some places big an' loud, an' other places quiet an' sneaky. It's smoke an' it's mirrors. What's goin' on?"

And she waited for his answer.

"So, yeah, he's useless."

Huw looked at her and his face showed just how sceptical he was of that. "But he's the king, Eva. The Pirate King." Vega rolled her eyes. "Is he Huw? I didn't know that, that changes everythin', that does." She gave him a look which was best described as 'withering' and she frowned. Her frustration - and irritation - was obvious, but her mind was working on it. This was a surprise to her, she'd have expected him to know something. "You tell me if I'm wrong," she said, and then gave Huw a run down of the conversation.

It was helpful to do that because, as she did it, she considered it. Analysed it.

And, came to a conclusion.

"He's a figurehead. A face. He's not ... Huw they're a distraction."

Her cousin raised an eyebrow. "That's a leap, isn't it?" Vega shook her head, stubbornly. "No, no it's not." Her mind was working tactically, but this was complicated.. "Think about it. The Pirate King used to know Sotong, but Sotong cut him off. He doesn't know anythin' about why those three Lords attacked. He understands, when I pointed it out, that they'd have to have been livin' in a cave for the last three arcs to think that this place, or any place with me in it, is easy pickin'." Huw listened to her and considered it and nodded his head. She was right. But that didn't mean.....

As though reading his thoughts Vega carried on. "An' that could jus' mean that he don't know anythin', of course. But these attacks were too organised, an' too planned an' that timin' of him havin' no contact with Sotong an' bein' pulled here to defend. We don't need it, but other places do." She looked at Huw and she said, quite seriously. "He's ... they're a distraction. Tools. This is not a Pirate Lord plan. This is somethin' else. Somethin' quite else."

Huw sighed. "What are you going to do about it?"

Vega shrugged. "Tell Kura, train the Elements, keep an eye. It's not mine t worry about yet. But I think the best thing I can do is assume that the Pirate Lords who were attackin' had some communications, some contacts with a "bigger picture" person. Someone was steerin' them an' I wanna know who. So, I'm goin' to use the maps from the Slaver, an' from Dianav's knowledge, an' I'm goin' to find out everythin' I can about the movements of the three what attacked us. Because that migh' lead us somewhere."

Huw nodded. "You'll be gone a while," he said. "Yeah," Vega replied. "But I'll pop back an' I'll keep in touch an' if there's an emergency, I'll be back quicker than you can say "click my heels" cos of my boots."

And, like that, it was decided. She'd get everything together, give Dianav time to decipher the maps and would then plan her route and leave. She'd speak to Arlo, of course, see what he wanted to do but they didn't live in each other's pockets so that was up to him. For herself, she grinned. "It'll be nice to get out on the water again. It's been too long."

So, it began.