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About damn time. . .
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Topic Started: Sep 6 2014, 11:05 PM (119 Views)
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 6 2014, 11:05 PM
Post #1
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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"How many years did it take?" The blue-pony sitting down on the bench asked his cohort, a completely white pony sitting next to him.
"A year and a half, precisely. . . . the entire time of the journey." the white pony responded. Nightmane sighed, and relaxed a bit in his seat. It was still a while till they would reach their destination, which gave him time to think just how preposterously long it took to get this 'meeting' with the 'Marshall of the Equestrian Army'. A year? Seriously? Nightmane had vital help that came in the form of much needed naval support and even monetary gain from some pirate hunters. Urgency seemed to fly right over the heads of these Equestrians, a trait that Nightmane hoped to confirm or deny with the Marshall.
Of Nightmane's group, only Grace was armed, and she was to stay toward the outside of the negotiations, only talking when necessary to add onto her logistical department. Even Star Storm was unarmed, his weapons, along with Nightmane's and far's being held in the ship's cargo hold for the time being. As for Grace, she carried her standard set of sixteen knives plus two often unused short swords. While not enough to take on any heavily armored pony, she was enough to buy Nightmane and his gang, who all carried a few smoke bombs, time enough to escape if things got ugly.
Hours later, Nightmane finally entered the mansion, Grace, Far Sight, and Star Storm in tow. Years of preparation were committed to this one moment, and years more of glory and purging the corrupted oceans of the pirate menace might result of it. Nightmane and his officers were all dressed in their standard business attire, with Grace being the only exception. She wore a fancy traveling cloak, her knives being hidden within it. The cloak had a small magical distortion field for anything that tried to scan for weaponry. Should her weapons be discovered immediately, she was to "escort" Nightmane out of the perimeter post haste. Grace dearly hoped it wouldn't come to that.
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 16 2014, 07:36 PM
Post #2
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Solaris would meet the group of would-be pirate hunters in the foyer of his manor. He was sharply dressed in his plate armor, without helm and nodded to the group as they entered.
"Welcome to my home, I'm Marshal Solaris Strike." Solaris started as he trotted up a bit to the group. "I do apologize for the time in which has past since you sent in your request. I have tea waiting in my library for us, if you'll follow me." He said before turning and going on his way to lead the group through his manor.
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 16 2014, 08:03 PM
Post #3
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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"It is a pleasure to finally be here." Nightmane replied formally. ". . . and I understand the lengthy wait time. Work can get in the way of everypony."
Nightmane gave his group a quick look, and nodded to them. They followed the Captain as he was lead by Solaris. They flanked him on either side. Grace was in the rear, her eyes scanning the surroundings for possible traps or ambushes. Just because they were here didn't mean things would go smoothly. Yet, Nightmane was. . . calm, oddly so. His gaze was calm, not formal whatsoever. His attire told otherwise.
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 16 2014, 08:19 PM
Post #4
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Solaris opened the door to his library and stepped inside, trotting down to the table situated in its center and walked around it waiting for the group to gather around it as well. On the table sat a teapot and several teacups. Solaris poured himself a cup and sipped it lightly.
"Tea anypony?" he asked after swallowing.
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 16 2014, 08:24 PM
Post #5
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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The group took their seats around the table. Nightmane sat across from Sir Solaris. Grace and Star sat next to Solaris, and Far sat in the last open seat.
Far Sight nodded. "I would greatly appreciate that, Marshall."
"Yes-please." Grace added on.
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 16 2014, 08:27 PM
Post #6
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Solaris smiled as he poured each tea into the cups necessary before setting the tea-pot down.
Solaris walked about the table, floating each cup to Far-sight and Grace. Before ending back up to his seat, but he didn't sit down right away.
"Good, now..." He trailed off looking between each pony seated. "I read your letter but I want to hear it from you. What is it you want?"
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 16 2014, 08:33 PM
Post #7
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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There was a tense mood within the group as Solaris walked around the table. Each pony expected a backstab, but only Grace and Far were willing to take the hit if it were to come. Thankfully, Solaris did little but pour tea and attempt to look important. He succeeded.
Nightmane managed to crack a small smile at Solaris' question. How funny. . . that he wanted to hear it from Nightmane himself.
"An unachievable idea, Mister Solaris."
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 16 2014, 08:40 PM
Post #8
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Solaris closed his eyes nodding, when he opened them he had a glare much more suiting to a military official, intense and piercing.
"An appropriately vague answer. Heres the thing: For us to proceed I need to trust you just as you need to trust me." He started, his horn igniting in a golden glow.
The security runes in the room stopped their faint glow and Solaris pulled out his shardblade, giving a rather expressionless look to how the group reacted as he simply floated it over and set it on the table. "If it came down to it I could easily cut through all of you like a wet paper bag." He paused a moment.
"I do not lie, I do not double cross, I do all of my dealings in the open, without secrets." He looked to Grace in particular, pointedly before moving on. "I will provide any relevant information in a discussion and above all I will give you the benefit of the doubt." He said looking between each pony present.
"I expect the same from you. Are we clear?"
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 16 2014, 08:53 PM
Post #9
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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Nightmane's expression was that of a buisnesspony when Solaris set his weapons down. He almost chuckled. . . really. This was the kind of pony he could get used to, frank and straight to the point. The ponies Nightmane was used to dealing with always had second motives and evil plots and blah blah blah. This pony, however. . .
"Fair enough, Mister Solaris." Nightmane replied, glancing at Grace. Grace looked at Nightmane, then at Solaris, then at the shard-blade, and then finally back to Nightmane before sighing.
"I can see this cloak is probably useless with all these security runes. Why am I even surprised. Heh." Grace mused before taking each and every dagger she hid in her cloak one by one, including the short-swords, and placing it on the table in-front of herself.
"You will have to forgive our. . . precautions. Take into account that, to your country, this group sitting before you is little more than a group of wanted criminals, and with quite the reward on our heads last time I checked. What was it Far? Twenty thousand? Forty?"
"One million." Far quickly replied. There was a pause after he said that, Nightmane simply taking in the enormity of the amount.
". . . and there is good reason for that number, Mister Solaris. I have scarcely abided by Equestrian Laws while going about my work. This, meeting however, is something. . . else. " Nightmane paused after that, relaxing into his seat.
"As for your earlier question . . . I do seek an unachieveable ideal, and that is not appropriately vague. I seek Freedom of the seas, Mister Solaris. I seek to make the oceans, as vast and unforgiving as they may be, pirateless. . . by one way or another."
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 16 2014, 09:39 PM
Post #10
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Solaris smirked a bit "If I was angry at your precautions you'd know it. I merely want us to have a level playing field." Solaris seemed impassive at the sheer amount of money they're worth.
"Why do you think no guard harassed you on the way up? You weren't searched, accosted or arrested. Because of me." He said shrugging "A piratless sea is something I'd like to bear witness to myself. And I can appreciate the effort involved in wanting to do so legitimately. After all, you very well could have just kept operating as usual." Solaris said as he floated out a rolled up document.
"This is our contract." He said as he unfurled it for all to read "For brevity's sake I'll explain. If you're under Equestria's banner you will follow our rules. I'm sure they're easy to follow, you'll find them within the contract itself. You can keep any loot you acquire so long as the items collected aren't slaves or illicit materials. Should you find those, you must bring them back to port and hand them over to the authorities." Solaris explained, reading the paper from memory.
"In return, we're prepared to expunge your criminal records and issue pardons for you and each of your crew-members."
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 17 2014, 06:54 AM
Post #11
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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Nightmane silently listened to Solaris, nodding every now and then at a considerable thought. However, his expression changed when Solaris mentioned slaves and 'loot'. It seemed that the Marshall had made a few assumptions of his own before coming to this meeting. Nightmane did not capture ships, Star did. Nightmane sank things, and sometimes Star brought back a prize or two. . . against Nightmane's orders.Prisoners were a burden, and there were other, far more important reasons for not keeping them.
Besides. . . there was one more clause that needed to be added onto the contract.
"I hope you came here with the prior knowledge that. . . eighty percent of the ships I engage find themselves at the bottom of the sea within two hours, Mister Solaris. When we find illicit materials or any slaves, they will be delivered to you. . . 'IF' we do indeed find them." Nightmane explained to Solaris.
"Also, might I see the contract for a moment? I must scan for. . . a specific set of words, Mister Solaris, and possibly find the need to add on a separate clause." Nightmane explained, looking passively at Solaris.
"During your war . . . I had the pleasure of sailing besides several Equestrian ships in battle, damaging none. Any gunner that even swiveled his cannon towards your ships was punished, Solaris." Nightmane explained, and he wasn't exaggerating. There were nearly two hundred lashes given out after that encounter to various ponies.
". . . Unfortunately, your own ships did not seem to follow that sort of protocol. We suffered quite a few raids from Equestrian troops, and although we did defend ourselves. . . we suffered the loss of ten . . . all of whom were part of our boarding crew."
Star tensed up upon hearing that. It was one of his greatest losses of life during his recent career. As much as he wanted to slaughter the pony responsible, he couldn't.
"Simply add. . ." Nightmane's expression finally stiffened to the age old, salty sea-captain with decades of war and terror in his lifetime that everypony on the high seas feared, and for good reason. ". . . that ten pegasi be transferred to the command of First-Mate Star Storm under Captain Stormbound Nightmane on the Heavy Frigate GCS Royal Ezel. I should note, Mister Solaris. . . that this is not about taking and killing ten of your pegasi. Oh no . . . this is about principal. You kill my crew. . . and so now we'll use ten of yours in their place. They will be incorporated directly into the Luna Wolves, effective upon their transfer."
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 17 2014, 01:30 PM
Post #12
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Solaris listened intently to Nightmane's issue with the contract. His own crew being killed by Equestrian forces, the lack of captured ships and even his ridiculous request.
Solaris took a long sip of his own tea before answering "No." He said in a curt manner.
"While I am truly saddened to hear the loss of life on your ship I cannot just give you 10 pegasi. You are not an official asset of the military. Once you sign this you're basically a permanent mercenary with a few more perks." He explained bluntly.
"There is also the issue that I just do not have anypony to give. You may have noticed that there is a small army forming nearby? Thats it." He said cocking an eyebrow "That is all I have to work with and I have to eject the remaining diamond dogs, fully entrenched with an army of volunteers and greenhorns." He said with a bit of an edge to his voice.
"This is not me stonewalling you, this is not me pulling the wool over your eyes. This is simply how it is."
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 17 2014, 01:46 PM
Post #13
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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Nightmane had his inward smile under his cold, expressionless mask. So this pony wasn't a fool. 'Good. Maybe Equestria has a chance after all. I've read anything there is on your unofficial file, Mister Solaris. . . so they say you were combed to become Marshall? You've been doing a pretty decent job thus far.' Nightmane thought to himself.
"Fair enough. It will probably happen one way or another eventually... maybe ten or so years." Nightmane replied casually. He kept reading and rereading the specifics of the contract every now and then, contemplating his next thought.
"As for your army problem . . . What happened to the veterans from the last war? Surely your did not lose all your troops. That is an impossibility."
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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Sir Solaris Strike
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Sep 20 2014, 02:24 PM
Post #14
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Solaris closed his eyes and sighed "Many were promoted to the royal guard which is defensive only. Their job is to protect the Princesses and the immediate territory around Canterlot." He said as he started to pace.
"Needless to say that the nobility controls what kind of army is built, I'm bypassing them by accepting volunteers. The Diamond Dogs require immediate action. Those ponies deserve better than half promises mired in political contention."
He emphasized part of his sentence, as a hint for Nightmane, whether he got it or not was on him.
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Captain Nightmane
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Sep 21 2014, 08:22 PM
Post #15
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Captain of the Royal Ezel
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There was a small chuckle from the Captain after Solaris finished speaking. Grace and the rest of the company turned to see their Captain with a rather fierce look in his eyes and jollied smile on his face.
"I can respect that. . . Marshall Solaris. It would seem that we are both having our own issues regarding politics in our own fields." Nightmane began, but returned back to the own document in front of him.
"Chances are, with some politicking. . . I could have Gallopfrey openly assist Equestria against the diamond dog threat, more so than they already are. The issue is. . . Equestrian ships attacking Gallopfreyian ships in the water." Nightmane mused, his own pen idly drawing away at the air above the document.
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"Yo ho ho and a barrel o' rum!" -late Captain Nightmare. "Star Storm... that Son of a Bitch second class... " -Captain Nightmane.
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