Jammers Summary: Chapter 3, Turn 39

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...

"Will you be picking hup cargo there, Captain?" Deigatt asks. "We may need to rearrange hour lodging to make room for hit hif you har."

"No, no cargo. The scro are meeting with several pirate leaders about coming over to their cause. I thought I might listen in on the conversation." Elrohir states casually. He takes another bite of the orange then sips from a glass of white wine, "Try this wine with the oranges, it's made by the sea sprites of Barbuda and its flavor complements citrus fruits wonderfully."

Raken's eyebrows arch up at the captain's news. "Interesting...." he mutters under his breath. When the captain isn't looking, he shoots Holland, then Ferric a quick look, his eyes letting the invoker know that he wants to speak to him later. He then takes another hunk of break and finishes it off. "Tell me captain, what is you're opinion of this whole war between the elves and scro?"

Elrohir shrugs, "There is profit in such a conflict, for those open to possibilities."

"Hoom, Captain, I have heard of this place. Might I make the following suggestion. You return to us our passage fare, to hold until we take off, headed once again for Bral. Any business conducted on Sinister, hoom, can leave you lying in the dirt calling for your gods, I have heard. Not to dispute your formidable skills, of course, but if anything goes wrong I would not wish to be trapped on Barre Sinister without funds or a way out." Nilaroo answers softly, staring at Elrohir.

"Since we never discussed whether or not I was heading straight to Bral, I see no reason for any complaints on your part." Elrohir has another bite of an orange, "Surely you are not so destitute enough to cause a fuss over a hundred pieces of shiny metal?"

Holland, who hasn't touched either the oranges or the offered wine, replies just as casually, "I guess we will just have to see this place for ourselves, what mid-morning?"

"That's usually the best way to judge a place." Elrohir agrees, smiling.

Nodding, Holland stands and says, "Thank you for the meal," before leaving the cabin.

Elrohir nods, "Sleep tight, folks!"

Kain, having been sipping lightly at his goblet of water, nibbling at an orange, looks up sharply as the conversation turns toward the Barre Sinister. "Uh... pass the wine decanter if.. ah.. you please, Deigatt," Kain murmurs, quickly draining his goblet of its water.

Kain tips the decanter slightly, watching his hand all the way as he fills his goblet with the white wine. After an experimental sip, he pours off a number of cups of wine in short order, before slowing down as his companions begin to excuse themselves. Colouring slightly as he rises, Kain, weaving a bit, very carefully looks to follow the others from the chamber.

------------------

Italapate waits until most everyone has returned to the cargo hold the Silent Star Crew lovingly calls home. As the group makes themselves comfortable, he moves about the hold, checking certain areas of the walls and floor to assure security. Finally, he says "You all realize this is a trap, right?"

"Maybe," replies Grigree, "but then why tell us where we go? Why not just take us there? Ay chipango! This is bad situation anyway."

"Maybe not," Raken says in a low voice.

"I agree," Ferric says, "there was no reason for Amroth to tell us where we are going. He could have simply waited until we arrived and not given us time to prepare ourselves."

"Ish not a trap 'pate," Kain slurs. "Whyshud he gives sucsh a goodly dinner? Our money, is of no condesq..consede..ish of no matter to him."

Talus answers slowly, "Personally I do not believe this is a trap. I have heard of Elrohir before, he has quite a reputation as a thief, explorer and captain. He is well known for stealing art objects and magical items, as well as for presenting his strange theories on the nature of the multiverse at Seeker lectures. I have never heard of him working for a bounty, and he doesn't seem like the type to me."

Billy nods in agreement. "I have heard the same about Elrohir. Anyway, visiting Barre Sinister will give us a chance to run into one of our good 'buddies'. Isn't this one of Laocoon's hang outs?"

Talus adds, "Though I do think we should take precautions, that is only common sense. While I doubt that Elrohir will try to trap us, once we land these pirates may decide we are of value and raid the ship. What will we do when we land? Tie and gag Italapate so he can't cause any trouble and hide in the hold? Or try and see what rumours we can hear. At a minimum I don't think we should mention the words Silent Star."

Holland contributes, "I agree, we are passengers, no more, no less. There are several pirates who know us by name and perhaps even by sight. I would recommend the majority of us stay aboard ship during our time at Barre Sinister. Now, not to detract from what I just said, but I intend on heading off-ship and perhaps Leera, under disguise, could go as well. Some of the more notable members of our group should probably stay under cover."

Holland adds, "I do not think that this is a trap, but we need to stay focused and alert. I figured that the Barre Sinister was near Ironpiece, due to the amount of pirate activity around the planet. I am going to go top-side and note the position. Once we get a new ship perhaps we can return and collect a few bounties."

Italapate continues. "An entire island full of pirates, and he's going to go there for a bounty? Let me tell you one thing, that bounty isn't offered back at Bral on Pirate heads. Its offered on us. I'm sure you remember that we aren't the favorite people of the Pirates of this sphere. He doesn't have the crew to subdue us, and he fished for info on our defense against the Scro. You may realize that I made the opposition quite a bit more impressive in this go-round of the story.... make him think twice before moving on us, give us at least until Barre Sinister before he attacks."

Raken nods in a negative. "I doubt it, 'Pate," he responds in a quiet whisper. "I think you're overestimating the impact we've had on piracy in the sphere. What have we done, exactly? We took the Star, which would be blamed on House Moune, not us. We attacked a pirate base, which could cause us trouble, but the scro have very little to identify us by, probably information learned from corpses. News would not have spread so quickly that they'd be able to arrange this meeting just to capture us. If indeed the Captain is telling the truth, this could be extremely important. Certain friends of ours would pay very dearly to know who attends this meeting and who signs on. Hells, at best, we might even be able to slay a number of pirates or maybe slip off with a ship or two. The risks are great, but if we play our cards right, we could change the very outcome of the conflict in this sphere." He pauses for a moment, scratching his chin in thought. "So far, we've cost the scro 3 of their ships. If they're so desperate for ships that they're hiring pirates, they must be in a very weak position." He smiles a bit. "I wouldn't mind causing them even more discomfort..."

Italapate motions for any response to be kept down, for voices to be quiet. He remains convinced that he is right. Finally, he says, "We need to decide what to do about this.... If you believe me, if you share my suspicions, I suggest we can take this ship. We outnumber the crew, and despite the fact that they are trying to fool us with their false-lax discipline and scheduling, I think we can take them......"

Ferric stands and looks down on those around him "And if you are wrong, Coyote? I will not be a part of this." Ferric says coolly. "I have not seen evidence enough to convince me that the captain of this vessel wishes us harm. Until I am convinced I will take no part in any activity which will brand me a brigand and put me in the same company as those on Barre Sinister. I will be wary and fight if I am attacked but I will not sully my honor because of your paranoia."

Grigree raises his eyebrow questioningly at the mention of honor, and shakes his head slowly as Ferric leaves. "Honor shouldn't, grr, keep us from planning. We may need to, hrr, hide our identities from dung-eating pirates, so maybe we work up story?" The hadozee looks around at the remaining members. "Pose as pirates?"

Talus grins, "We could always pose as adventurers down on their luck taking passage to the Rock."

Kain, leaning back against the chest that serves as his chair, turns a slightly glazed eye upon his friend. Putting much effort into speaking clearly, Kain says, "The truth, why start telling the truth now," before he begins to laugh

"Captain Helrohir has made no threat hagainst hus," Deigatt reminds his comrades. "Hattacking someone who has provided hus aid, halbeit hat a price, makes hus no better than these pirates we disdain. We can plan for hour defense, but we should make no moves hagainst the captain hor his crew huntil we har sure that they have hill hintentions toward hus."

Grigree nods. "But should we stay on ship? We can go, grr, out and see what pirates think."

Italapate frowns. "Look, I'm not suggesting we should take the ship. I am saying that we could. And neither Deig nor Ferric would understand the many different layers of subterfuge there are available to someone who knows how to use it. You guys can navigate, right? Think for a moment. He would know that we would know that we have switched course. Not telling us would raise more suspicions than telling us. Obviously," he says. "So, he says, 'Oh, by the by, good chaps, we are taking a little detour, to a little pirates nest. And Raken, you assume that I think he went out of his way to get us? Geez, people, I'm not stupid, and it would serve you well to stop making that assumption. Remember when you looked into this ship, Raken? Its destination was listed as Bral, not Barre Sinister. But then we show up, he maybe has heard some tales, perhaps he's a pirate earpiece or something, and he thinks 'hey, here's some money just dropped itself in our lap'. And he's an ELF! I really doubt anything we did to the scro would bother him. If we had a down-on-their-luck pirate crew book passage from us, would we not attempt to cash in on the bounty?"

Italapate looks at Ferric and his face sets. "So maybe you should get off your cursed moral high horse, and think about this. Rather than dismissing it out of hand because I am the one that brought it up." He folds his arms across his chest with finality.

At Italapate's comments, Raken's eyebrows arch up. "Um, 'Pate, there's two things wrong with you're argument. One, I wasn't the one who booked passage on the Sword. Two, I wasn't dismissing your fear that this might be a trap, fears that I too have. However, I was merely pointing out another possibility, an opportunity, if we dare to take it. And yes, I know he's an elf, but that means little. Elves are not all pointed-eared, tree-hugging goody-goodies. They can be as cruel and as vindictive as any orc. Besides, magical disguises are all too common, so he could easily fool the scro for whatever his purposes are." He pauses for a moment. "The last few weeks have been rather tense on all of us; if we make it back to Bral, I suggest we all take a brief vacation and forget our worries for a few days."

"Okay," Pate says, "Two points, ditto. I know that you didn't book the ship, Raken, and considering that I had just told you not to think of me as stupid, it was an ill-timed misstep to say the least... but the point was valid. In port, this ship listed Bral as its destination. It did not change until we stepped aboard. And, I know that elves can be nasty, but again, that wasn't my point. I was challenging the assertion that our attack on the scro was too recent and the scro couldn't have recognized us as a defense against the idea that Captain Elrohir is trying to cash us in on Barre Sinister! I said he was with the pirates, and the fact that he is an elf makes it impossible that the Scro element was even a consideration."

Vais says, "That may be what you meant, but it is not how you sounded. I wonder why the captain didn't list a secret pirate hangout as his next port of call with the gnome authorities..."

"Eh," Pate shrugs. "Maybe.... and I _never_ said I thought the scro had anything to do with the Captain's scheme. I continue to claim he is a pirate, or a pirate agent. But, this has broken away from the thrust of the point. You want to argue semantics up until they throw your copper hide to the bottom of some really salty body of water, go ahead. I am going to find out what is _really_ going on here." 'Pate excuses himself after the discussion, and sneaks out into the rest of the ship.....

Seguld sitting against the wall next to Italapate, listens to the others, his head shaking from side to side continuously and a look of disgust on his face. His vest is slightly stained from the elaborate meal. As 'Pate moves to leave Seguld simply says, "IDon'tFeelTooGood, ThinkIAteTooMuch..." he holds his stomach and lets out a moan, "Ohhhhh... If'nAnyoneCaresWhatIThinkIAgree With'PateInSoMuchAs..." <<BUUUURRRPPPPP>> "Ah..." his eyes close a moment. "MuchBetter.... NowWhereWasI,OhYes,'Pate'sRightInThatThisFriend OfYoursFerric, HeMakesANiceTableAndServesGoodFoodButIDon'tMuchTrustHim. TooBadWe Didn'tBuyThe Wasp.We'dBeNearlyHomeByNow,AndWithoutFearOfBeingHandedOverFerARansom."

Talus frowns as Italapate leaves, "I am not sure Italapate sneaking around the ship is such a good idea."

Vais answers, "I find very little to do with Italapate is ever a good idea... but he seems a competent sneak and I suppose the discussion can be equally productive without him."

After a few minutes, Raken says "what I find most interesting is *how* captain Elrohir told us, at dinner. He could easily have told a few of us individually while on shift, but why tell us all at once? I find that a bit odd."

Leera listens quietly to the discussion. She nods in agreement as Italapate speaks. After several others have spoken, she voices her opinion. "I think our shaman may be right. This *feels* wrong." She pauses. "I doubt that the captain was laying in wait for us, but our name is probably well know to the pirates whose lair we invaded. The watched us all day and had plenty of opportunity to see the name on our ship when we sailed into their cove. Hells, we let some of them go, didn't we? It wouldn't surprise me at all if there's a bounty out on us. And our dear captain here recognized the name and decided to take advantage."

Again she pauses, and then continues, a decision obviously having been reached. "I plan to use a spell to attempt to ascertain his intentions."

Talus frowns and asks, "What spell are you planning to use? He may have protections against some forms of magic, and as an elf has a natural resistance to charm spells."

"Be cautious, Leera," Deigatt adds solemnly.

Vais speaks from the shadows where he habitually sits. "I think you are missing an important possibility here. You assume he wishes to attack you, or simply ferry you to Bral. We are obviously a band of adventurers, and adventurers are often referred to as swords. Perhaps he simply intends to use you as one uses a sword; as a weapon against one's enemies."

Holland asks, "I think it was mentioned, though I am not sure; what do you all think about liberating a pirate ship?"

"Bad bad bad bad bad," Kain groans. "We liberate.. they incinerate."

Grigree gets a big grin on his furry face at the mention of taking a new ship. "This would be, grr, good place for it. But if we steal from 'jetatin pirates or not, we still ship-stealers. Maybe if they attack us first?" He pauses a bit in thought and adds, "Maybe we go onto docks and see what happens?"

Suddenly the door from the crew quarters opens and a fetching elf maiden noticed earlier as one of the crew walks in. She has void-black hair tied back and silver eyes. An obviously expensive longsword hangs from her side and she wears studded leather armor on her lithe body.

"Hey, watch my stuff!" Billy exclaims. He dashes past her to his meager possessions. With her back to him, Billy keeps a sharp eye on her as well as a hand on his shortsword.

Her hand rests easily on her glittering longsword as she looks about the room. "You're the adventurers who've made an enemy of the scro. Well, well, well; Did you know we are on our way to Barre Sinister? And that the Scro are meeting with the pirates there now?" She pauses, then holds out her hand, smiling broadly, "Pleased to meet you; my name's Elmarelena and I have a proposition for you..."

Date/time: 7:00 pm 20th day of the 6th Month, 5049 O