Prologue
The following post was from my original blog on ronincyberpunk.com, it is archived here for posterity purposes
This is the first installment of what I hope to be weekly or bi-weekly story postings. Today is the prologue sort of setting some of it up for you, future postings should be much longer and much more in depth.
[Edited for some spelling and some additions, should reread if you haven't already]
Captain Cicero Davis stood on the deck of his ship, The Immortal, staring over the bow watching the horizon. His hands clasped behind his back, his face was cleanly shaven and his hair was pulled back out of his face. Many would say his face was too young to be that of a captain of a ship, much less captain of one of the most revered pirate ships to sail the seas.
Cicero Davis was an anomaly of the sea in almost every form. Most sailors were English, Spanish, Portuguese or French. Cicero was the offspring of a Greek mother and Scottish father, wrong for a seafarer on both counts. His parents were a mystery even to his crew. But this isn't a surprise; the captain himself is a mystery. He's a quiet man, and an infuriatingly patient man.
One thing many people don't realize is that most pirate ships run on a form of democracy, the crew has to be part of the decisions else they mutiny and overthrow the Captain. It's the simple way a good pirate ship runs, and Cicero Davis' was no different in that aspect.
But it is different in so many other ways.
The Immortal is the best. That is enough to say right there because explanation only confuses the simple truth. The ship can easily draw up to its prey and invariably the Galleon's broad side with its 22 guns facing the prey would oft be imposing enough to deliver a bloodless surrender. This was encouraged by Captain Davis' distaste for bloodshed, though he is no stranger to the sword.
So is Captain Davis a pirate? I know you have to be thinking that. Nay he does little that would claim the title of pirate, except pillage and steal. No one truly knows what drives him to do what he does. He could have been a very successful merchant captain, or even a naval admiral, yet he took this job.
Why?
Who knows? Not even his first mate Katja can truly say. Oh sure, it's quite easy to make assumptions. Now you are wondering what the story between Captain Davis and Katja is. Well let me stop you right there. They aren't. Captain Davis is intensely private and his mind is his own, but his actions can be observed by all – he treats her as one of his men. No different. And truth be told, she does nothing deserving to be different. She'll help rig the sails or hoist the anchor just the same as the burly twins he brought on board in Tortuga.
The Immortal has perhaps the most eclectic crew to sail the seas. Captain Davis himself is almost his own culture, taking bits and pieces from the world which he's sailed for the majority of his life. Katja brings aboard a strong yet, in truth, beautiful Slavic first mate. The Chiurgeon of the ship, Roland, is a tall lanky black fellow, a freed slave who was taught medicine by his once owner, later adopted father. Quite the story he has, but that's for another day. But I mustn't forget the Swedish Chef, rarely seen on deck as it is rumored he has grown too large to leave the kitchen through the door. Also rarely seen on deck is the Chinese Master of Arms, Xu. He's a quiet man, his face belying his rumored age. He only comes on deck to smoke his pipe, not daring to smoke it below deck near the powder store. He rounds out the majority of the crew, other faces will pop up as the tales of The Immortal grow, such as Ian the Irish snitch – often found in the crow's nest or the nameless twins who are rarely found out of arms reach of the other. But those will come as the stories write themselves.
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