CaptainCiaran

stinky stinky

(Again Ciaran closes his eyes and is silent fer a long time, thinking, trying to remember)

Sir, I do not recall whether Mr. Badger were on deck or not at the moment the merchantship were spotted. Me eyes had been on the sighting of the Danish ship. After Diego's shout of Sail Ho, it be the Master Gunner's order I recall next. Oh! I do recall Jack ordering the barge and boarding crews to quarters, Sir.

I clearly recall that the Captain was not on the deck until about this time. He immediately took command of the situation. He was engaged in conversation about the two ships, talking at length with Miss Swan and Mr. Petee. Again, Sir, my attention was more to watchin the events on the water at this time.

The first command from the Captain that I can remember was fer all hands to the riggin, when it was determined that the Black Lament had her sights on us, after the brief encounter with the merchantship.

(Ciaran closes his eyes again.)

Sir, that is the best I can recall. The entire event happened so quickly and caught us all by such surprise, and had the marks of the devil upon it Sir. That is all I can remember. I hope my recollections are useful fer ye. Perhaps the Monsignor or Miss Swan could fill in my gaps, Sir.

Ah, Mr. Ciaran... As one o' th' lookouts on watch while I was off ship...

I need to know e'ery thing tha' went on while I was ashore...

Full details... everythin'....

What orders were given by an' by whom...

Aye, Sir. (Ciaran closes his eyes for a few minutes then begins to speak)

A merchantship was seen first. I spotted it, as did Diego. The Monsignor called out Sail Ho and the crew came to life. Swan immediately came up the ropes with me and she noticed the second ship off on the horizon. We could tell with our glasses that the first ship seen was flying the Danish colours. At this time, the Captain came onto deck, having heard Diego's call. The deck is quickly coming to life. I recall hearing the Master Gunner call for his crew to take their quarters. As I kept lookin out at the two ships, the Captain, Swan and Master Gunner were engaged in conversation.

It was about that time that the second ship and the Danish merchant began to do battle. As quickly as their encounter begins, it is over and the second ship is then recognized as The Black Lament, and she quickly heads in our direction. Capt. William orders everyone onto the rigging. With Swan watching the fast approaching Lament, Diego and I begin to watch our backs, the jungle for a surprise attack. I recall at about this time there is an odd smell that engulfs our ship, a stench of death and decay.

At this moment, Sir, everything happens quickly. Diego notices ye and Armand in the jungle, but at the same moment, the Black Lament aims her guns at us and begins firing. Diego and I barely miss being hit by a couple of its deck crew. I am able to take care of one, and Diego about to take the other, when a cannonball nearly takes us both out. Right between us it sailed Sir, and fortunately between the masts into the water on the far side. I then fire and hit the second dog.

Now our big guns are firing and it is all out battle. The Black Lament has pulled in close, and it is then that the Captain realizes that our anchor is still lowered. I remember seeing Captain William hacking at the anchor chain, but the action up in the riggin was now fierce so my attention turned to mine, Swan's and Diego's safety. We were firing best we could and protecting ourselves behind the mast. Next time I turned around, I saw the Captain fall, almost in slow motion, Sir. I remember screaming out and the Master Gunner running over to pick the Captain up. Blood was streamin from his body onto Petee and the deck. I screamed for someone to get the Doctor. There was smoke, cannonballs, shot, sails ripping, wood splinterin everywhere now. Miss Swan climbs down to help with the Captain at this point, just as Dr. Fitzgerald comes into view.

Then Sir, forgiving me description, something very very strange occurred. Everything went still. Everything stopped. When I turned and looked back, there was thick fog rolling over us, smoke and fog. It was cold and that stench of death again in the air. And a wind then blew almost audible words Sir. The hairs on me neck stood straight up. Then it was over. The fog lifted, the smoke cleared, and the Black Lament was gone. Even with me glass I could not spot her. Only the merchantship remained in view.

Next memory was of the Doctor's voice, full of shouts and instructions. Captain William was carried downstairs.

The rest be a bit of a blur now, Sir. All of us crew set to work on putting out small blazes, examining the ship, helping injured mates, and trying to figure out what the hell had happened to us.

Pass the word for Mr. Ciaran

(His shift over, Ciaran comes down the rope where Mercenary informs him that the QM wishes to see him as quickly as possible. Ciaran thanks her and sees Dorien standing against the far railing.)

Sir, how may I assist ye?

Goldilocks

stagecoaches

One very interesting little tidbit of Titanic trivia that I read for the first time this summer was that on the night of the disaster, one of the Marconi wire operators at remote Cape Hatteras, NC, picked up the original transmission for help. He (a young man named Richard Dailey) immediately relayed the message to New York where he was promptly reprimanded for cluttering up the wires with a foolish hoax.

Until the day he died, as an old man, he swore that this was the truth.

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

PETA

bitch

Cruella Deville (first bitch to pop in me head)

(From above, Ciaran heard and watched as the QM gave orders. The ship seems to immediately come alive with action.

'Ahh, a good sign, this work will help keep me mates' minds busy and not worrying so much. A smart move on the QM's part indeed, and those tasks do be needed.'

As Ciaran scans the deck, he notices the Monsignor sitting alone, losting in thought and prayer, yet looking very worried. 'Tis the Captain he's been down to see,' thinks Ciaran. 'It (the Captain's health) must be worse than we ever thought'.

Ciaran takes a long deep breath at this thought, raises his glass, and looks out to sea.)

grub

(Dawn this morning finds Ciaran climbing up to relieve Swan from her night watch. Thank God it had been a quiet night, and as the two lookouts change places, Ciaran is relieved to see nothing unusual on the horizon.)

tribal feast

(Ciaran smiles as he climbs down and heads below for jes a bit of rest)

With all the activity going on, what's the first thing me dandy bucko Diego sees through the glass? A lone woman on the dock. LOL.

Good mornin' mates.

Be there any herbal teas around? I be needin' some Lemon Zinger or such.

Desperate Housewives

bedtime story

(Morning slowly dawns, clear and calm. His body aching, Ciaran climbs to the nest to relieve Swan of her nightwatch. It had not been a restful night for anyone on board The Watch Dog. Few, if any, mates had slept more than a couple of hours. Everyone was stunned, talking of the battle with The Dark Lament, the Captain's serious injury, the strange weather, the damage to the ship.

Swan and Ciaran simply nod hellos to one another this new day, too tired for conversation. Ciaran situates himself, pulls out his spyglass and attempts to focus on the horizon.)

Nice image. I think me wuz one of these chaps in a past life!

My God, I need a drink.

(Not wishing to disturb anyone, Ciaran walks behind the bar and pour himself a glass of vodka and downs it. Pours another, places Crowns upon the bar, and walks back to his seat.)

(Ciaran notices how disoriented the crew feels. No wonder, he thinks. He turns to look back to shore. We have crew on shore somewhere. They must get back to our ship.)

(As Ciaran looks out upon the water, there is only fog and smoke, and in the distance the Merchantship. Ciaran raises his spyglass. The Merchantship seems to be in the same shape as The Watch Dog -- smoking, battle-worn, the slow, shaken movement of her crew upon her deck. She, too, has battled The Dark Lament, whatever demon ship it be. As Ciaran scans the horizon, there is no sign of the ship they had jes battled; the Dark Lament has vanished.

Ciaran notices now a fog moving across the water. It seems to cover The Watch Dog. He hears a moan or a voice or is it a dream. He holds on tightly to his rope and waits. The fog moves across the ship and the darkness of night falls.)

(from high above, Ciaran watches the events below as if things be in slow motion: smoke and fog linger thick in the air, small fires burn themselves out on parts of the deck, splintered wood floats in the water and lie scattered on the deck, shredded sails hang limp. As Ciaran stares he sees the Captain's bloodied body carried from out of sight as the sound of the Doctor's voice slices the air. There is an awful silence now as the Watch Dog herself seems to heave and sigh.)

the State Fair

(ye can always buy Italian sausage there)