[My Final Heaven]

The Mist Stalker's secret port was a week's sailing from their hunting grounds at the river delta and they had a favourable crosswind the whole way, letting them cruise at seven knots with only half thier sails set. The mist waves rolled soothingly, and after Elcid's watch on the third day Captain Capella called on Elcid to have dinner with him.

'What do you think of this vintage?' The captain asked him. Elcid could only shrug.

'Very red sir.' He replied which made the captain howl with laughter.

'Weren't you going to be a buttler or something tedious like that in your early years mister Baretto? A buttler has to know his wines.'

'I ain't no buttler sir.'

'Infact, this wine tastes much like cat's piss, but what can you expect eh? It's been stored pourly and the mist's got to it.'

'Tastes alright to me sir.' Elcid shrugged. It didnt' really taste like anything, his sense of taste was nearly gone from breathing the mist fouled air in the lower cabins as a boy.

'Yes, well I suppose you can lead a mule to culture but it will still be an ass.'

'I don't get your meaning sir.'

Again the captain laughed. 'Right then, to buisness which is why I really called you here tonight. It's the matter of all this loot we've got pilling up back home,' (home being the secret port, the ship was the pirate's real home) 'the warehouse is getting full and there's no safe fence within a month's sailing in favourable weather. If we had to spend two months each time we take a prize fencing the goods we'd as soon quit the privateering trade and go back to straight pirating.'

'Very true sir.'

'Yes. So I wonder if you have any ideas on the matter?'

'Well sir, seems to me there's a safe fence not a hundred miles from home sir, safe for any ship but the Stalker sir. She's too well known now cause you keeps insisting we lets everyone go once we rob 'em.' Replied Elcid with a hint of sarcasm in the last part.


'I'll ignore your insolence because you're a bloody good helmsman mister Baretto. Do continue in this line of thinking.'

'It's obvious sir, the next time we come across a brig or even a flute preferably, we take her as a prize, maybe blast a couple holes in her side to make her look like she's seen a hell of a battle and we take a few of our boys and a few of the plains lads who's been itchin for a chance at sailin the mists and we sail her right into Astinbar, sell the goods for a killing cause it's nob central and we got a load of silver and silks, maybe hire a few more good sailors from there, then we come back and do it again till the warehouse is empty.'

'That's nonsense.'

'Sir?' Elcid says taken aback. He thinks it's an excellent plan.

'A trick like this could only work once at the most and there's the prisonners to deal with and then there's the problem that whoever I send I have to trust to come back again, and I know for a fact that there's no one in this crew I could trust to bring everything back. The only thing to do is to divide the crew and have them take thier share in the bounty with them. So, you want the job Elcid?'

It was the first time the captain had ever called him anything other than Boy or Mister Baretto.

'Sir?'

'Want to try your hand at captaining? The offer is open to you if you'll take it. I have plenty of men waiting to take your place. We'll take the next ship prize, offload the crew that won't accept your command, and there'll be some that'll join you I'm certain, for the right price and you can have Winslow, Dekar and Harkson.'

The captain held out his hand across the dinner table to Elcid, who grasped it almost without a second thought which made the captain smile. The truth was, that the captain was getting old and knew he had to be rid of the Ambitious Elcid Baretto before the youth challenged his leadership, but the Captain believed that what was good for others was also good for him. By unloading the trouble makers in his crew to Elcid he would be keeping himself strong without having to spill a drop of blood, and Elcid would believe he had been done an enormous favour.

'Crows nest said they spotted a sail to the south not an hour ago.'

'That's a favourable direction to give chase sir.'

'Then let us give chase.' Said the captain standing from the table and placing his ridiculous red hat on his head. 'And Gods willing, by sunrise tomorrow I shall address you as captain mister Baretto.'

Elcid couldn't wait as he took the helm from the second watch and came about towards his destiny.