The Sea Lords - A Rough Seas Revival

[Baloth-Kul]

"Almost. Because if we succeed, what *you* have got...is his ship." DiMercurio said with a sly grin. "If you wish it. You have learned well from me, and you know how to keep a crew in order. Once again--IF we succeed--you may choose to captain his ship--and give it a new name, for I imagine it is presently something barbaric--and for a modest percentage of your take, our two ships might pillage as one. More and easier Spaniard gold that way, no?"

[POMC S117]

Bahamas, Nassau

Hornigold gave one final parting shot, directed towards Nelson's back, a last vile statement of malice, of the possibility for pain and punishment that Hornigold could release if angered sufficiently, if pushed too far. "Next time you threaten me, you better have a weapon ready, because the next time you do, I'll cut your bollocks off with a sword and use them as billiard balls!"

---

The Devil's Skull and Fist

Nelson returned to his ship, to find the crew awaiting the order to set sail. Though originally the crew had met the news of some port to call home, sufficient time had passed for the crew to know long for the feel of the ocean waves rocking against the wooden hull of the ship, or the salty sea spray to be gathered up by the wind and cast upon them. Doubtlessly, in a few hours time, when they would be out of the port, the seasickness would set in, or the lack of [&@%!], or the limits of movement, and would cause them to desire the safety of a dockyard once again, but, at least, they were good to go at the present moment. The deck had been cleared, the rigging set for sailing, the mast secured, the sails secured and the hull was checked for any new breaches. There had been no upset, no fault, and the crew was as ready as they would ever be.

---

The Swiftsure

Albert Holst's journey back to his ship, The Swiftsure, had been largely uneventful. That was hardly surprising, given the short distance from the tavern to the pier. The only thing that marred Holst's journey was a rather unsettling, upsetting encounter with an old hag, the so-called Lady Amore, who had been a rather famous [&@%!] back in the glory days of Charles Town, before the Spanish had come to burn it down. Luckily, she had survived, surviving to carry on her risqué habits as a lady of the night. Seemingly, she still fancied herself as a bit of a diva, though she was in no way attractive and stank strongly of what seemed like fish. However, the stars seemed to have shone upon Holst, for the Lady Amore was already busy with some other unfortunate sod and thus made no pass on him, no attempt at solicitation, and he could move on by, thankfully only with the image of the horrid crone in his mind.

When he finally made it to the ship, he found that the crew had made his vessel shipshape and bristol fashion, ready for sailing out into the Caribbean. The news that they had a mission to do had seemingly spread, probably from one of the crewmembers who had been listening to Hornigold's speech and had spotted Holst following him into the inn, and they had all busied themselves with preparations. Not only had they readied the sails, but also the cannons. Some of the sailors were, no doubt, superstitious, not enough to outright believe the rumours of a ghost ship, but enough that they were compelled to prepare for the eventually of running into one. Some of the more educated among the crew had attempted to explain to the others that a ghost ship, by its very nature, was not corporeal, and thus couldn't be taken down by cannon ball and muskets, though to no avail.

[All hail!]

Holst climbed on-board his vessel, shuddering slightly at the memory of Lady Amore, who had but one tooth, and one eye. He turned to his crew, a motley lot, who were only kept in line by his Iron fist. He had to address them.

"Listen up, and listen well, for I won't repeat myself. You may have heard that we're going to be investigating a ghost ship. Well, that's true. It's as true as looking up in the sky and expecting to see the ocean. We may try and find this ship, but, it does not exist. We're to sail to the Caicos and back, for a hundred Reals! I want to get there and back before any of the other [&@%!]'s Hornigold's set on this task have even left Nassau! We sail as soon as we can!"

[The SheoDovah]

Must remember that he can make it impossible for me to trade. Nelso thought to himself as he walked to his ship and boarded the 5th rate Devil's Skull and Fist. He walked up to the wheel and overlooked the entire top deck of the ship. "Hope you're all done [&@%!] the [&@%!] and drinking Nassua out of it's rum as we have a chance for easy coin. We are going to go to sail to the Caicos and look for a ghost ship instead of the usual british [&@%!] that wants to ruin our way of life." He informed his crew. "We will be paid 100 Reales for doing [&@%!] all but keeping our eyes opened and whilst the pay is not even enough to cover everyone, i will reward those who spot it first. If any [&@%!] tries anything, we will sink them." He informed the crew and believed it would encourage them. "And for the rest of you, I will find us a ship to raid so we have enough coin to cover everyone. Now, set sails and let loose the devil on the oceans!" He ordered his crew.

[VirtualWeasel]

All the ships set sail from the Nassau docks, and headed southward, for the Caicos. There was an atoll here, an island there, but not much in the way of interest to pirates.
Until, however, a small ship, clearly mercantile in purpose, passed quite a distance in front of the Narcisa Caro. It was quite far, and difficult to tell if any protecting vessels were accompanying it on its journey. The Swiftsure was close behind the Caro. The Devil's Skull & Fist, however, was nowhere in sight.

Hidden:

I'm gonna assume the Caro left as well, yes?

[Baloth-Kul]

Hidden:

I guess POMC didn't get to that post after all no big deal. Yeah, we were/should've been the first to head out, so...yeah. XD let's make some trouble.

Narcisa Caro

The Captain of the Narcisa Caro stood near the helm, sipping tea from a fine tea cup. His mood had improved, but his lust for wealth was as present as ever. "The first of many ships to be taken--however, we have vultures astern, do we not?" Ambrogio said to Morgan, referring to both The Swiftsure and the yet unseen Skull and Fist. "We will signal them to stop, and that we wish to speak. We will speak--determine if they have an escort--and we will see if I can take another ship bloodlessly." He glanced back towards The Swiftsure. "If they have escorts, we will make a simple trade for water, should they have any. And we will advise them to rejoin their fellows--a lone ship against the likes of those behind us...why, we would not be men of good conscience to allow their goods and lives to be claimed by such brigands, don't you agree?"

He took another sip of tea. "And if the captain of that unremarkable lady behind us should choose to fire upon us while we are talking, we will simply join forces with those merchants, and take their ship instead. We will be the only ones to profit today. Whether by words or by blood."

[Unionhack]

Morgan nodded and stood at the top of a set of stairs to make his image seen. "Alright, lads, grab the signal flags and flag down the vessel. We're going to have a nice chat with the merchants. Remember; offer one hand, arm the other! Keep your swords and your pistols close! Things may get a little... interesting." he finished with a laugh.

[All hail!]

The Swiftsure

Albert Holst stood towards the bow of the ship, his customary spot. His father, who had been a sailor like him, had told him a good captain must stand at the forefront to be ready to face any dangers. Albert, on the other had, would prefer his men to face those dangers for him, but it had become a tradition, and sailors were loathe to break with tradition. He had hoped to be the first to the Caicos, but the Italian vessel had been out of port before his Swiftsure, and the warship of that fool Nelson was nowhere in sight. Knowing dunces as he did, Holst reckoned they had a peculiar luck about them. Richardson was either at the Caicos and half-way back by now, or he hadn't even left port.

Suddenly, the Narcisa Caro's men started to signal towards something. Not a good sign, Albert thought. He turned to a sailor standing next to him, a young boy by the name of Ned. "Get me my spyglass, boy, and be quick about it!" he ordered, sending the lad off scurrying. He quickly returned, handing Holst one of his prize possessions, an engraved telescope, taken from a Spanish trading ship during the war. He quickly studied the scene, noting the Caro and the trading ship opposite. If he waited until the Caro sailed off, he might be able to take some of the plunder, no reason to get involved with that fifth rate while it was still firing. However, he could sail on past them, and perhaps make it to the Turks and Caicos first.

Making his mind up, he placed down the spy glass. The Swiftsure would press on to the Caicos, he would arrive first.

[POMC S117]

The Swiftsure & the Narcisa Caro

The merchant ship was too distant to see the signals at first, being barely on the edge of what was visible, given lighting, cloud cover and fog. In fact, it appeared to the crew of the Narcisa Caro that the merchant ship would pass them by without noticing their communications, but by lucky chance, the vessel veered off its course, perhaps blown by the wind, or perhaps manoeuvring to avoid some unseen island. This new course brought it towards the Narcisa Caro at just the right angle and right distance for the crew of the merchant ship to see the signals flying from the sails of the pirate ship. But its new course also revealed something to the Narcisa Caro.

The vessel was not alone. It had company.

An escort, it seems, though, to the crew of the Narcisa Caro, it could have easily been another pirate vessel attempting to raid the ship, though the lack of damage to either ship and the lack of cannon fire made this unlikely. Whatever the other ship was, the ship was small, smaller than the Narcisa Caro, a brig of some description. With barely eighteen or sixteen guns to its name, it was not as formidable as the Narcisa Caro and any engagement would likely be one-sided. That was assuming that the merchant ship itself was not armed, as sometimes was the case.

A few minutes passed and the trade ship continued to grow nearer, until at last some flags of its own appeared on its sails. They would agree to meet with the Narcisa Caro. At the same time, the escorting ship moved closer to its mother vessel, giving a clear sign that they would engage at the slightest whiff of trouble.

As this scene was unfolding, the crew of the Swiftsure were pulling the vessel away from the Narcisa Caro, which was now heading towards the merchant ship. The Swiftsure was moving eastward, along the originally-intended route, towards the Caicos, clearly aiming to be the first vessel there, not busying itself with either the Narcisa Caro or the trading ship it was heading towards. At long last, it was the Swiftsure that was out at front, the Narcisa Caro now moving off route, concerning itself with the affairs of merchants and their potential suffering. The Devil's Skull and Fist was still nowhere to be seen, presumably beached on some nondescript island, due to Nelson Richardson's low intelligence and lack of navigation skill.

The Devil's Skull and Fist

Fate had made it so that, lucky for Nelson, he had not in fact beached in some unknown island, but he came very close to it. The hull of his ship had scraped along shallow water, causing a small rupture in the hull, but the quick-thinking actions of his crew had averted complete disaster. They had managed to push away from the island and headed back into deeper waters. At the same time, they had also succeeded in patching up the hull breach before much water had been taken in. That had been around the time that Nelson had lost sight of the other ships and was now quite lost. His lack of navigation ability crippled his attempts to find his way back on course. However, his luck had not yet run out, though he was not aware of that fact. Rather than sailing hopelessly off-course, the Devil's Skull and Fist was not very far from the Caicos nor from the other ships, though a wide formation of islands separated them, both physically and visually.

Nelson was now faced with the decision of dangerously navigating westward through the chain of small islands to get back on track (if, indeed, that was the right way) or heading east in the hopes that it would lead him to somewhere familiar, where he could get his bearings. Within moments, though, it seemed that the choice was made for him, when a crewmember called out in alarm.

"Captain, British ship to the west! It's alone and lost, cut off from whatever fleet or convoy it was with! A sixth-rate from the look of it!" came the exclamation. "I'd wager it has half the guns we have!"

[Baloth-Kul]

Hidden:

Btw, what flags are the two ships flying? I swear, if they're spanish or austrian...

Narcisa Caro
Once the merchant vessel was close enough, Captain Ambrogio calmly walked to the side of his ship with his cup of tea, and called out to the other crew. "Buongiornio, fellow travelers! A fine day, is it not? Please, come aboard and we shall have words--I'm afraid we've left port rather short of some necessary goods." He took a sip of tea. "We have fresh tea, rum, a few confections over which to discuss a possible transaction!"

He looked to his crew, and addressed one random crewman. "Could you please retrieve the tea from my cabin? It's on a tray on the table. Grazie." Ambrogio looked to another. "Would you see if our dear Monsieur Dupont has any leftover confections that would be half-suitable for our guests? They will not need much. Just enough to help them stomach the surrender of their goods. Grazie."

Ambrogio finished his cup of tea, and waited for reply from the crew of the merchant ship.

[POMC S117]

The Narcisa Caro

The ship bore proudly the Union Jack, as did its escort. Given the area the ship was in, it was little surprise that the vessels would be British, presumably coming from Bermuda bearing salt or from some other British possession in the Americas, or even from the British Isles themselves.

A person who appeared to be the captain of the merchant ship approached the edge of his vessel, where some of his crew were assembled. Despite the distance, Captain Ambrogio could make out the clothing of the merchant, due to the bright colours and elaborate fabric in use. The merchant was also rather fat, with bright red hair and a small beard and moustache. In many ways, he appeared to be like Henry VIII, not that Ambrogio would be aware of what Henry VIII looked like. He was engaged in a hushed but urgent conversation with his crew, a series of discussions which lasted for a good few minutes, before the merchant finally delivered his verdict.

"Good day, sir. We would like to thank you for your warm welcome and your offers of trade!" he began, bellowing across the gap at the other ship, as his escort circled warily around both ships. "However, given the present circumstances, your lack of familiarity and the fact that you opened communications with us first, I feel that it would be more prudent for you to come on board my ship, so that we can discuss trade!"

[The SheoDovah]

"[&@%!] off!" Nelson growled as his ship almost beached itself and knew that his crew rectified the issue as soon as it occured. He hated suffering damage to his ship outside of battles and ended up losing track of where they were headed. "Ah [&@%!]." He uttered upon realising what the incident had done to him and cursed his lack of skill at navigating.

"Either we are lucky [&@%!] today or the most unlucky sons and daughters of [&@%!] to grace this earth." Nelson told crew member that had spotted a potential prize. "Listen up you devils, we have a chance to strike fear into the [&@%!] onboard that british ship! They call us savages, dumb [&@%!] that only know how to [&@%!], drink and [&@%!]. They would have us all hanging on the end of their [&@%!] ropes and beg pardon of dear king george but i say [&@%!] them! If they deserve to be [&@%!] up the arse by the devil, yell Aye! If they are not worth our time, nay be your answer and they shall have the fortune to kiss their royal arse of a king's arse!" He told the crew of the Devil's Fist and Skull as he overlooked the entire top deck.

[Baloth-Kul]

Narcisa Caro
"A fine point, my friend!" Captain Ambrogio offered. "Though I think it makes some small sense for you to come aboard our ship, first, to see firsthand what we lack? And you simply *must* sample some of what our cook has to offer! Did I mention I have some fresh tea? Not a fortnight ago, we received, in trade, a fine crate of such divine flavors as come only from the Orient!" He raised his newly empty tea cup, as if to verify it as fact.

In truth, Ambrogio only had the very small store of tea for his own consumption, and the few guests he occasionally entertained. If the British traders were to come aboard, they would kindly receive a cup of the stuff, not a crate.

[POMC S117]

The Narcisa Caro

The merchant pondered Captain Ambrogio's words for a while. It was for quite a long while, in fact, and he seemed to concentrate much on the matter at hand, rubbing his chin, twisting the ends of his moustache, scratching his forehead. It looked as though he had been convinced by the sweet-talking and charismatic Milanese captain, but then something seemed to ward him away from complete acceptance, remembering an old adage, to always err on the side of caution.

"I will send you my first mate to represent me instead." he shouted. "He is my brother, both in arms, trade and blood, and can represent me better than all others in this world. What he says is my will, and what I say is his will. And I shall send with him six sailors, so that they may also sample your wares and discover what you lack. If this arrangement is not acceptable to you, then I am afraid our business can go no further."

---

The Devil's Skull and Fist

As Nelson's speech thundered throughout the crowd, each stopped what they were doing, and turned to listen. What he had expected to be a chorus of cheers was met with nothing but silence, as the crew looked at him in shock. Nelson could not have expected this reaction, booing, perhaps - cheering, almost certainly. But utter silence? That was new.

Eventually, his first mate spoke up. Jack Johnson, a man in his early twenties from Liverpool, missing half an ear from a rather nasty encounter with a Dutch gunboat some months back. "Nelson, mate... all that stuff about [&@%!] them up the arse... isn't that a bit gay? I mean, me and the lads can get behind taking that British vessel for all she's worth, but I'm not in the business of [&@%!] British sailors."

At last the crew began to speak up. "Yea! Aye! Let's do it!

[Baloth-Kul]

Narcisa Caro
Ambrogio gave a sad smile. "As you wish, fellow captain! Though I fear you will envy your first mate, for being the one to enjoy our hospitality...ah, well. We welcome your men aboard." He gestured with his empty tea cup, as if in salute, and then a few steps towards his cabin, before quietly addressing his first mate. "If seven are coming aboard, make sure at least a dozen of ours are 'working' in the cargo hold, and at least another dozen just outside. We shall bring them first to the hold, to show them what we lack--their own cargo."

"At the same time, some men can bring some of the grapeshot up to the top deck, in case we need it. Discretely. That means also bringing up an empty crate or two, to make it seem as we are bringing up goods to trade. --The first mate and his men, I will convince to give us HALF their valuable cargo. They are less likely to agree to all of it, without blood...it needs to seem as though we all profit from this. If the first mate must, he will mutiny against his captain so that he and his crew aren't all cut down. Better he kills his brother in arms than for all men aboard both ships to lose their lives, no? When they agree, we keep one or two of the men in the hold--in case the first mate thinks to warn his captain. As soon as they are aboard their ship, we load the port cannons with grapeshot, and ready guns to fire on any loyal crewmen of theirs. --And ready the starboard guns, should their escort decide to open fire." He looked at Morgan with seriousness upon his face. "You will relay my orders to the crew--they are not to aggress unless it is necessary--and you will remain on the top deck, to lead the men should my negotiations below deck fail."

Hidden:

Ie; get some guys in the cargo hold, get some guys in the adjoining room, Ambrogio leads the Brits down to the cargo hold, some guys bring up grapeshot and empty crates, Ambrogio convinces the first mate to mutiny and give us half their goodies, we keep a man or two temporarily, to deter him from ratting us out, he goes back to talk to his captain, we prepare to fight if the captain and crew resist.

This could go wrong in so many ways, but some valuables in the hold without any/minimal losses to our crew or ship is always nice.

[The SheoDovah]

"Yeah, not my best choice of words." Nelson told his first mate after the stunned silence of the crew. "You have all spoken and I shall deliever your wishes! We shall raid the british [&@%!] and inspire fear into them! We are the devils and they shall fall beneath us!" He told his crew with a grin as he raised his cutlass in the air. "Now, all you devils get to your stations for we are about to collect our pay!" He ordered his crew as he looked in the direction of the british ship to determine the best course of action. Bones was wagging his tail and seemed to agree to raiding a ship or maybe the dog just loved to sail.

[POMC S117]

Narcisa Caro

The first-mate and several companions, apparently unarmed, but doubtlessly they would be, were lowered from the vessel on a rowing boat, with the sailors working with the ropes and rigging focusing on their task with great care and concentration. The merchant-captain, however, was not watching the struggles of his sailors, or his brother's descent, but had his attention firmly affixed at the vessel across from his, seeing all on the deck with his stern glare, rubbing his chin and massaging his beard once again.

Just before the boat had been fully lowered into the water, in fact, it was only about halfway down the ship, he held out his hand, as if commanding his sailors to stop. The sailors immediately ceased dragging on the ropes, and the rowing boat dangled dangerously above the water, but remained largely stationary. The merchant walked over to the edge of his ship, and appeared to be having a hushed conversation with his brother. After a few moments, the merchant walked away from the edge, returning his attention once more to the ship ahead, and the rowing boat continued its decline into the water.

The boat broke into the water, shaking madly as it was unleashed from its restraints. Under the direction of the first mate, however, control was quickly regained, and after only a few minutes, the boat had traversed the gap between the two ships. Only a little later did the sailors and the first mate find themselves on the deck of the Narcisa Caro, though they proved uncooperative in moving anywhere else.

"We don't need to go any further, I don't think." the first-mate said, quite confidently, quite sternly. "If you are as respectable as you say you are, you'll have a ledger, receipts and writs, and other such things that will tell me what is in your hold, and what you do and don't need."

The first-mate looked much like his brother, though he was considerably slimmer, and his hair was darker, more brown than red, though he could not quite be described as dark-haired. His clothes were also less grand, though seemingly by choice, for he wore some expensive jewellery and his skin was healthy and clean, or as clean as it could be given his occupation.

The Devil's Skull and Fist

The crew quickly sprang into action, the ship coming alive with shouting and yelling and jumping and running, and the moving of crates and cannons around the deck and the fixing of rigging and rope; all two hundred and fifty crew members working in unison, or as close to that as they could. The guns were cleaned and scrubbed well, filled with powder, and then packed with hay and cloth, and finally, the balls were rammed in tight, but not so tight as to turn the cannon into a rudimentary pipe bomb.

The Royal Navy ship appeared to have spotted them, for it, at least at first, made attempts to retreat, moving in the opposite direction from the Devil's Skull and Fist. However, the ship's captain vacillated, and the sails were brought down, bringing the vessel back, towards the fight. It appeared that the captain was not one to flee in the face of a larger ship, and the two vessels closed in on each other.

[Dirty Spaceman]

"Ahhh, here we are!" called Pierre as he burst onto the deck, clothed now as he usually was in his apron and chef's hat, and carrying a platter of finely peeled and sliced oranges. He also had cut into slices a loaf of bread, which so far had been kept from moulding. He believed in purchasing foods regardless of how quickly they spoiled at sea, because he could always make use of them before that time came. "Ici, bon appetit," he said to the sailors, striding up and urging the platter upon them. "Mangez, eat!"

[Baloth-Kul]

Hidden:

Am I really screwing the Speech checks this badly? ><

Oh, ninja'd. Good timing, Pierre. Better get your knives out.

Narcisa Caro
Then we are doing this the hard way, fools.
Captain Ambrogio stepped calmly towards the British merchant's first mate, and as soon as he was near enough, Ambrogio stood sideface, and (attempted to) fluidly drew his rapier, and press its killing point gently against the first mate's chest--enough, perhaps, to just barely begin to pierce flesh, but it was not to be a killing blow, unless Ambrogio's adversary was foolish enough to step forward, or draw a weapon.

"You will all take your hands away from your weapons, and take no aggressive actions, or your dear brother will perish, and the rest of you will die or be taken prisoner, to languish until someone is willing to pay for your safe return! You will signal your escort to stand down, or you will all die!"

He looked at Pierre, who appeared just as Ambrogio was about to make his move. "So sorry, Pierre. They may take some with them if they wish, when they leave--if they do something foolish, though, I fear it will be up to us to enjoy the refreshments."

He then shouted an order to his crew. "Draw your weapons, load the second deck portside guns with grapeshot, but hold your fire unless they do something foolish!"

The Italian rapscallion wore a cruel grin. "Well, captain! Your keen instincts have only made it the worse for you and your men. --Do not interrupt, or it will mean blood. I had intended to treat them to some truly enjoyable confections, and at swordpoint, demand the surrender of half your cargo--but it seems you are unwilling to trust, and now with your lack of trust, you are unable to appeal to my...respectability."

The grin disappeared. "Here are my terms! You will surrender ALL of your cargo, and all your valuables, immediately. You may keep just enough food and water to ensure your survival to the next port, but no more. I would only have taken half if you had heeded my wishes. And it may seem a steep price..." Captain Ambrogio paused, allowing the glint of his rapier's metal to say a bit for him. "...But it is less than demanding the ship, or all your lives."

"If you value your brother's life, your crew's life, the lives of your escort, and your own, you will heed my perfectly reasonable demands! I will accept no compromise! You give us your goods first, then we send your men over! If what you send over seems lacking--if it seems you are holding cargo back--they will die, and we will engage, and crush you!" He looked over the opposing crew. "And as for your crew! If they value their lives, and the lives of their families...should your captain prove unwilling to adhere to my demands, I advise you to put a blade through his back, and see to my demands yourselves! Would you see your families starve in the wake of your sudden absence, just to maintain your captain's pride?"

He addressed the first mate he held at swordpoint. "Very slowly, you will remove your jewelry, and place it on the deck. If one holds great sentiment to you, you may keep it. If you try to draw a weapon, or do any such nonsense, I will run you through, and your brother and all the other men onboard his ship, and the escort, will perish."

Hidden:

Basically, order my guys to arm themselves, load the second deck's guns that're facing the merchant ship with grapeshot, but hold their fire unless the other crew does something moronic. And my terms are "give me all your cargo and valuables or else much death". No compromises. If he is unwilling to listen, the offer is extended to his crew, if they end him.

I mean, unless I'm rudely interrupted--which, if I am, I'm going to bleed the first mate a little. Or if I get gunned down or something before I can even draw. Or after. Whatever, we'll see how this goes.

[The SheoDovah]

Nelson smirked as the British ship decided to face him like a man and knew that it would be a worthy fight. It was the 5th rate fully armed and very dangerous ship up against the half armed 6th rate ship. Whilst the 6th rate wasn't fully armed, it still posed a threat and he knew that if he could claim it as his own, he could make peace with ol' horny. "Look at that, devils! They want to fight so let's show them why we are feared by the [&@%!] that cower beneath us!" He told his crew. "Slow them down with the chase cannons and get us ready to fire everything at once from our broadside. I don't want those [&@%!] even having the chance to touch their cannons before we even start to tear them apart." He ordered his first mate.

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Basically, i intend to slow it down and fire everything at their broadside as i am assuming that the ship is trying to get in close before firing at me.

[Unionhack]

At the sight of Ambrogio's rapier being drawn, Morgan instinctively drew his own cutlass as well. "Steady, lads." he ordered the crew upon the ship as they undoubtedly drew their own weapons.

[VirtualWeasel]

The Narcisa Caro

The mechant ship's first mate smiled slyly, before speaking with all the bravado he could muster. "[&@%!] on your demands!" His accent was thick and sloppy, making his words sting like poison to any affluent noble.
As he finished his sentence, his escorts quickly drew flintlock pistols from their holsters, standing distant from any of the two men's sword range. There were only a few seconds to delay—the men were clearly hesitant to open complete fire, but it was sure to happen.

The Devil's Skull & Fist

The chase cannons fired, only two or three of their shots hitting their mark in the British ship's hull. The rest lodged themselves in the ocean. As the ship was quickly returning bow-side first, it couldn't make much of a volleying defensive maneuver, but when it came within close enough range, the British ship turned itself port-side to the pirates, preparing a returning volley.

[Baloth-Kul]

Hidden:

No, no, no. It's not going down like this. Heh. Speech powers, activate! For once! --And feel free to interrupt me with me getting shot if they don't hesitate further.

Narcisa Caro
"But are your men so eager to die for your pride?" Ambrogio shouted for all the opposing crew to hear. "We outnumber and outgun you! Elect a new captain and first mate from among your own! Keep half your cargo for yourselves--your choice. Make your own destiny today! Don't let your officers' arrogance be your doom--take back your ship!" And with that message to the enemy's crew, with the intent of inciting mutiny--whether he was allowed to finish, or was interrupted with violence, Captain Ambrogio drove his rapier forward to pierce the first mate's heart.

Hidden:

But I'm probably still dead. Already.

[The SheoDovah]

"They seek to put holes in our ship so let's [&@%!] ram those [&@%!]!" Nelson ordered as he kept an eye on the enemy's ship and believed that if he could ram the [&@%!] before it had it could get a decent shot at him, he could keep the damage at it's lowest.

[POMC S117]

The Narcisa Caro

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Luck isn't on your side, it seems.

The sailors looked at each other for a few seconds, deliberating. They weren't well-paid, and the sailor's life was a hard one. But then again, for all his silver tongue, Ambrogio was still a pirate, and his word didn't mean much. Some of them lowered their weapons slightly, but then raised them back up, preparing to shoot. This few second's hesitation, however, was enough for Ambrogio's crew to get the drop on the British, musket fire ringing out on the deck, and bodies falling down dead. Then, there was a loud explosion, or rather, multiple loud explosions, as the battle began in earnest.

For the next few seconds, everyone's ears pounded with the harsh ring of musket and sword, and the fierce roar of gun and cannon, and the tearing of lead ball against wooden hull. Smoke filled the air, leaving sailors and pirates alike temporarily deaf and blind. When the smoke cleared and the ringing ceased, all that remained was the sign of bloodshed. Captain Ambrogio, in the confusion, had wound up on the deck, on his back, not hurt, but presumably knocked over by the impact of cannon fire striking his ship. All around him, his fellow pirates lay, some injured or dead, taken out by the British merchant sailors or by shrapnel from the ship. And it wasn't only his sailors that had been killed. In front of him, the merchant first mate was dead, Ambrogio's sword through his heart, and beside him lay many British sailors, also dead.

Morgan had managed to prepare himself for the impact, instinctively bracing himself. The impact had upset his balance, but not enough that he slipped. When the smoke cleared for him, he saw a British merchant sailor, one of the few survivors of the British first mate's bodyguard, charging towards him, cutlass in hand, ready for a fight.

Within seconds, Ambrogio had been lifted to his feet by some of his crew, who then ran off to man the cannons. While the Narcisa Caro had taken some damage, having been on the receiving end of a volley from the trade ship's escort and from the lightly-armed merchant ship itself, it had dished out at least as much punishment as it had taken in. The merchant ship's port side was now a pox-marked mess, with small gaps between the wood, looking like angry maws of demons and such other creatures. That was not the worst of all, however, this material damage being mostly superficial. The greatest impact of the Narcisa Caro's first volley was the damage that had been unleashed upon the crew. The grape shot, though not enough to penetrate fully the hull of ship, had savaged those crew members unlucky enough to be on deck. Many of those people now lay dead, or were so close to death that they begged for it, with their mangled bodies, crumpled on the wet wood, innards leaking from holes in their bellies or bone sticking from limb. Their screams rose up through the air, joining the sounds of battle that raged across the ocean.

The Devil's Skull & Fist

The British ship had now lined itself up in such a way that its port side was crossing over from the pirate vessel's bow side to its starboard side, sitting at roughly a sixty degree angle. The Devil's Skull & Fist made a sharp turn, the crew attempting to catch the British sixth rate with the ram. The steel ram was a heavy instrument, however, and slowed the pirate vessel down, making it more unyielding and slower than the typical vessel of its size. The sixth-rate was greatly more-manoeuvrable than it, and faster too boot, and was able to navigate away from the ram.

The attempted use of the ram did have some small success, however. The odd, jagged manoeuvring that the British ship was forced to take moved it out of its perfect firing angle, and when the sixth-rate opened up with its broadside, the damage was mostly small. A few pirates were killed by the broadside, and three of the Devil's Skull & Fist's starboard cannons were rendered inoperable.