The Siege Of West Africa
Introduction
This story depicts a struggle between the English Marines, and a west African Militia. The setting is as follows:
Date: March the Third, 1745 Time: 0900 hrs Location: 13○N, 4○W Vessel: HMS Battle-Royale POV: Chancellor Ryan Blademonk
Part 1: Rough Waters
I awoke to the screech of the Bugler sounding off. I knew that I had the rights to remain in my cabin, but I had been getting eager for arrival, so I dressed and appeared anyway. I walked out on to the Royal Yard of the ship, and saw the lining of the west coast of Africa in the horrizon. Our destination..... Conakry, Guinea. I was heading there to hold peace talks with a West African official in the East India Trading Company. He sent me a letter stating that he had finally beaten back the resistance known as the Waste Tribe. Their leader had agreed to listen to our terms of surrender. The Official, Lieutenant-Commander Alvin Welch, had summoned me to witness this meeting live.
Suddenly, a cry errupted from the crow's nest.
"Sir, we have unidentified ships approaching! Reccomending a change of course!" it was the voice of Colour Sergeant Herman Carlson.
"Negative sergeant, we will stay on course until we have confirmed hostile intentions from them!" shouted the brave man known as Captain David Anderson. He was, and still is the captain of Battle-Royale. After a few moments of confusion, and scrambling about the decks.... we watched the ships get closer and closer.
Next thing I knew, there were cannonballs flying towards us.
"That enough of a confirmation for you, Captain?!" shouted Carlson, now down from the nest.
"Shut your mouth and fire back Sergeant!" yelled Second Lieutenant Peter Blakeley
David Collin Anderson - Captain of the HMS Battle Royale
I watched as the heroic men rushed to the cannons, and threw everything they had at the bandits. I was beginning to see why the Battle-Royal had gained itself a reputation and a motto it could live up to. 'None shall sink us, without facing our Eighteen Guns'
As I watched, a guard ran up to me, and urged me to go below deck for safety. I declined his request, because I was much to focused on everything. Of course I'd been in worse scrimmages, but something about this one made my nerve endings pop open like tiny little unbrellas. I saw some men get hit by stray cannonfire, and we were impacted by a few rounds, but no major damage to the ship..... for now.
After I saw one ship go down, the men cheered and all focused on the final one. I was with them. I watched, and saw them wheeling out something on a cart. I took out my spyglass and focused in. I saw nothing out of the ordinary at first, but I then saw them wheel out quite the interesting contraption. Seemed to be some sort of Catapault. I took a closer look at the situation, and saw them loading Grape Shot canisters onto the machine.... several at once. They were going to launch that thing if it killed them. Which it indeed did, since I saw the ship start to take on water and list heavily to the port side.
The HMS Battle-Royale Sinking a bandit ship
I then saw something that was quite unique, and would personally like to try for myself. They lit all the Grape Shot canisters on fire.
"Unless you want burning sails, I suggest you veer to the left Captain!" I shouted in a slight panic.
We made a hard turn, but as we did, I looked back at the sinking ship, and saw a flaming ball coming our way. As it got closer, it got more spread out, and by the time it was within a considerable distance, It had almost vanished. The captain had tried his very hardest to turn us away, but impact was inevadable. As it hit, everyone dove for cover.... which we found out later was quite unnessicary. The shot hit us ( ironically ) as flaming rainfall. But it didn't even touch the decks. It hit the sails, and in a moment's notice, they were burning as if they had been thrown into a Padres lava pit.
"Get us to shore, Immediately!!!" I shouted to Anderson
"I'll do my best, Sir" he replied in a somewhat less than optomistic tone.
Part 2: One Bad Situation To Another
Date: March the Seventh, 1745 Time: 1630 hrs Location: Unknown Vessel: HMS Battle Royale - Inoperable Faction: English Royal Navy POV: Petty Officer Lucas Gibson
I couldn't believe the situation we were in. We were supposed to be in Jassik Harbor in Guinea making our way north to Conakry. Instead, we were stuck aground with devoured sails, and a few dead men. Including my brother, John. On top of that we had no idea where we were, but Chancellor Blademonk's calculations state that we are somewhere in Southwest Senegal. Then again, what does that man know? He got us into this mess, and he'd better be thinking of a way to get us out.
Petty Officer Lucas Gibson (Left) and Lance Corporal William Stoughton (Right)
"Hey Luke," came the voice of my buddy Corporal William Stoughton. "...we're gonna be movin' out again some time soon. You should pack your bag."
"Thanks man." I said. "I'll uh... get right to it" After that, I stumbled off from the tree line I was guarding. I returned to my tent to find that the fly was drawn. As if somebody had just entered, and hadn't left yet. I got down on my hands and knees, and looked under an opening near the back. It wasn't very big, but It was just wide enough for me to peer through. I saw something, that sent a chill down my spine. A group of scrappy looking African men, and women. They were all armed with sticks, clubs, and if lucky... a good sword. There had to have been at least six of them. Nothing we couldn't handle, but my question was - How did they get into this camp unnoticed?
I looked at my surroundings, and set a tripwire using a tent stake, and a nearby tree to tie off. I then left, and went to investigate the far tree line to see if they might have come from there. I ran into some men on the way, and I explained the situation to them. They followed me there, and we found a gruesome sight. Eight good men, slaughtered as if there was no struggle. Some had their heads smashed in , and others were stuck with a strange type of tribal spear that I'd never seen before.
We were on our way back to camp to tell the Chancellor, but as we were approaching the borders of the field, we saw losts of men rush towards the barracks tent I had set my wire under. We followed the crowd there, and met up with the Chancellor, who was pushing his way through. I followed close behind. When we broke through, I saw a sight that just made my day go from bad, to worse, to unbearable. There, lying on the ground was Stoughton. He had been stuck by my trap, and had a wooden stake through the center of his chest. He had already bled out, and was dead by the time we got there.
"How did this happen!" the Chancellor demanded. He was yelling at Captain Anderson.
Captain Anderson, and Petty Officer Gibson outside the tent where the Incident happened
"I haven't the slightest clue sir, teriibly sorry." was the captain's response.
"I cannot afford to loose anymore men! Does anyone have any idea how this happened?" the Chancellor was now yelling at everyone. Murmurs started surfacing among the men. They were all whispering their thoughts to one another. To change everyone's mind before they started getting suspicious, I knew I had to act fast
"Sir," I said. "I'm not sure but I believe I saw people sweeping through the forest over there a moment ago." I was now pointing to where the guards in the forest had been slaughtered. "It could have been the militia. They might have found us sir. I reccomend we....."
"Enough!" the Chancellor interrupted. "I have zero tollerance for matters like this. However, we will investigate the area to try and determine an ingress route that the tribes could have taken. Baker, Holt, get to it would you?" the Chancellor snapped his fingers "GO!"
"Sir, we should break down camp and move immediately. If they come back we might have a little problem on our hands." Captain Anderson had just voiced my opinion to the Chancellor.
"No captain, we will stay. I have already sent a messanger bird to Lieutenant-Commander Welch in Guinea. The letter contains information about our location. If we move, it could throw them off." the Chancellor spoke those words and we all immediately realized what he was getting to. "We will remain here. If it means sacrificing a few more men, and losing a few materials off our grounded ship, I want you to build a wall around this camp for our own safety. That will be all. DISMISSED!" shouted the the Chancellor.
We all turned and began to walk away. People were now talking about the infiltration, and how we had to build a wall. It would be a tough job, but I knew in my heart, as long as Baker and Holt kept quiet, I was willing to build the wall to cover up my mistake. Because if it was ever leaked, I knew that would spell the end of my career, and possibly my life.
Part 3: A Desparate Decision
Date: March the Fourteenth, 1745 Time: 0400 hrs. Location: Fort Chaffe, Southwest Senegal Vessel: HMS Battle Royale - Inoperable Faction: English Royal Navy POV: Second Lieutenant Peter Blakely
I sat alone, well.... almost alone. I was outside the tent where my men were sleeping. Smoking a cigar is the best way to clear my mind while I'm on duty. As long as nobody catches me, I can stay relaxed and focused on the job at hand...... defending our new fort. For the last few weeks, my division had been sailing to the West African country of Guinea to conduct a guard detail for Chancellor Ryan Blademonk. He was supposed to be holding peace talks right now, and I was supposed to be sitting outside a door in a grand hall.
Instead, we were in a makeshift camp surrounded by a makeshift wall about a mile inland from our ship's crash site. Captain Anderson, and the Chancellor believe we are in Southwest Senegal. I suppose I have to believe them seeing as how I myself had no idea where we were when we got bounced by those bandit ships. The men have started to call this establishment Fort Chaffe. I haven't the slightest clue why, but It seems to be the popular name.
South End of Fort Chaffe, Senegal
"Lieutenant," came a voice through the mist. I turned and found a man by the name of Herman Carlson, running towards me.
"Yes Sergeant?" I asked as the man regained his breath.
"The Chancellor requests your presence in the command tent immediately." he told me firmly.
"Thanks, I'll go there now. Do me a favor boy. Sit here and watch that field over there." I was now pointing to an opening in the wall. "We were planning on finishing the wall tomorrow, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. If you remember our little infiltration incident the other day, I would assume you understand my paranoia."
"Completely sir, I'll do it. Just go see the Chancellor. It worries me that he is up at this hour when he has to work extensively long tomorrow." the Sergeant seemed a little upset when he told me that.
As I pushed my way through the brush in front of the Chancellor's tent, I saw him standing there. Facing the opposite way. He was looking at a map of West Africa that I had fetched from the ship earlier. I didn't understand why he thought it would be useful seeing as how he's yet to determine the exact location of our crash. But before I could ponder it anymore, he interrupted my thoughts.
The Chancellor's Desk inside the command tent
"Do come in and take a seat, Lieutenant"
I approached his desk and almost knocked my head on an overhead lantern. I took a seat as instructed. I saw the Chancellor pace back and forth a few times in complete silence. Just looking at me. I felt a little uneasy, and finally got up to the courage to ask
"There a reason you wanted me here at 4 in the morning sir?"
"Indeed there is. You see lieutenant, I gave a speech to the men earlier in the week stating that I had sent a messanger bird to inform Welch of our situation. The bird has been gone longer than anticpated, so at this time I believe it either got lost, or was trapped and killed by the Militia."
The chancellor then took out a small black case. He set it on the table and opened it up. He fumbled in it for a second, and then pulled out a small medal.
"You will be needing this Lieutenant. For I have decided to take the Captain, P.O. Gibson, and Sergeant Carlson with me in a quest to make it to Conakry. I will be leaving you in charge of the men here at the fort. This badge, symbolizes such. I will also inform the men of your promotion. You can add an extra bar to the sleeve of yours, First Lieutenant." he said as he handed me the medallion, and a new patch to sew on.
"Thank you sir, I wish you best of luck on your journey." I said, a little giddy
With that, I left the tent. I returned to my position near the south wall. I explained the situation to Carlson, and he was thrilled to be going with the Chancellor. I dampened his spirit a little when I explained that I was now a First Lieutenant. He then walked off into the night, and I sat back down in my chair. I was collecting my thoughts about the day, when I suddenly found myself drifting off to sleep.
Later that morning, the bugler sounded off and awoke me from my chair in the woods. I gathered my things, and rushed to the center of the camp. As I arrived, the Chancellor, Calrson, Gibson, and Anderson were stepping into the center of our large circle. Everyone quieted down on my word, and the Chancellor began to speak
"Today. Marks the end of this waiting game. These men that stand by my side will be joining me in a quest to find help. We, will ride by horseback to the city of Conkry in Guinea. In my absence the newly annointed First Lieutenant Peter Blakeley will be the commanding officer. All men are to follow his directions. You have all done a good job building a wall to protect this fort. I would hope that you take to your next task with the same enthusiasm."
Not knowing how we really felt about building, digging, and planting..... the Chancellor went on.
"You men, are to hike back to my ship, and do your best to repair the sails. If you need to construct new masts, do so. If you need to use cloth from the storage crates, do so. Anything to get the ship afloat, and running. I will expect to see the ship in all it's shining glory once we return with Lieutenant-Commander Welch, and his fleet. We will then.... sail into Jassik harbor, and continue our mission of peace as planned!"
The men applauded when the Chancellor was done. He, and his group mounted their horses. With a "YA", and a crack of his reigns, the Chancellor's horse reared up and then began to speed away out the gate to the fort. The others followed him. Once they were all out I signaled the guards to close the gate. I turned around and saw that the men were starting to disband into all different directions. I quickly shouted....
"HEY! I didn't say you all were dismissed!! The Chancellor put me in charge of a job, and I will see it through! All men in Companies A, and B are to report to the front gate in one hour. We will march down to the beach and begin construction. Tomorrow, compannies C, and D will do the same while the first shift guards the camp."
With that, the men all began trudging back to their tents with zero enthusiasm. I knew then, that this was going to be a hard couple weeks. We would have to rely on each other, and I knew I would have to gain the trust of an entire marine division. It was then, that I realized how hard it was to be a leader.
Part 4: A Haunting Memory
Date: March the Seventeenth, 1745 Time: 11:45 hrs Location: Foothills outside of Bissau, Guinea Faction: Waste Tribe POV: Lorelei Callicoswine - Waste Tribe Leader
Ugh! I was disgusted with my men. First, they failed to intercept the British Fleet I sent them to sink. Then, they failed to attack the footcamp that the british had made up! Now, I've received word that the target was moving in our direction. All we had to do was sit now and wait.
My life was destroyed by the English. As a child, I was adopted into an Irish family, and we lived a very good life. Father was wealthy, and me, and my sister Jew'ell lived a very good life. Mother died when we were young. When we got older, father told us that she died defending our country from a group of extremists. He taught us always to honor her sacrifice, and to defend ourselves against anyone who tries to tell us what to do.
Unfortunately, we had to act sooner than we planned. When the EITC invaded Ireland almost two years ago, my sister and i didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Father left for work one morning, but he never returned. When Jew'ell and I got worried, I drew back the curtains to look out into the street. I saw hundreds if not thousands of Black Guard soldiers marching down my street.
The injured, on the streets of Ireland
Next thing I knew, the door burst open, and at least ten EITC men entered in sequence. My sister grabbed a dagger out of a display case, and surprised the first man in the door. She stuck him through the chest, then whirled around and roundhouse kicked another man in the face. I grabbed a fine China plate, and tosseed it like a frisbee. It hit one man directly on the head. He was knocked out, and fell backwards. He landed on the back of Jew'ells dress, and she was snagged. I watched in horror as a few men grabbed her, threw a sack over her head, and dragged her out the door. I though I was next, but I guess they never saw me hiding behind the couch. I never saw her, or my father again. And after Ireland was occupied, I was forced to move out. I packed my things, and ran down to the nearest port. I climbed into a shipping crate, and fell asleep.
When I woke up, I was being moved. I could feel the crate shaking up and down. I poked the lid off a little bit, and found that I was on the back of a Horse-Drawn carrige. When the rider wasn't looking, I hopped out of the crate with my things, and stumbled off the side of the road. I took a better look around and realized I was in a country area. I walked about a mile down the road, until I became hungry. I sat down and found a berry bush. As I picked the wild berries off the bush, but then heard some russling behind me. I turned around, and there was nobody there.
Suddenly, I had a very strange feeling. As if someone, or something was calling to me. I hopped a fence and walked towards an old abandoned barn. As I got close, I began to feel more strange..... then as if someone was watching me. I got up to the main barn door, and It was open a bit. I drew a pistol I'd taken with me, and advanced into the barn. I looked around. It was a three story barn. I was standing on the main floor, but I looked up and saw a balcony overhead, and then there was a cellar door about five feet in front of me. I approached the cellar door, and my feelings were going crazy.... almost as if people were breathing down my neck. Yet, when I turned around there was nobody there. My heart began to race, and I didn't know what to do. I looked down and realized I was standing right on top of the cellar door. And suddenly..... all at once, the feeling just disappeared.
Next thing I knew I woke up strapped to a table in a dark room. The only light was a lantern hanging directly over my head. Then, I heard footsteps.... and a man's chuckle.
Waste Tribe Interrogation Room
"You are a fool for running around in the streets like you were, little girl" came a man's voice from in the dark.
"What do you mean?" I asked. There was a moment of silence, then the man chuckled once more and said
"You must know of the invasion. It is not safe to be out on the streets." the man came back at me.
I thought about what had happened back home, I was wondering if this man was an Irish fugitive as well. Maybe he was in the same situation as I was, and maybe he could help me out.
"The streets of Conkry are no longer safe my dear." he said
"Wait a minute" I said, "Where am I? Am I still in Ireland?" there was another moment of silence, and then the man burst out into laughter. He lit a few more lamps so that I could actually see him now. He was African, like me. I was officially confused.
"Silly girl, you are in Bissau, Guinea. How do you get lost here, all the way from Ireland!!??" he was now laughing so hard he could barely speak. I explained my situation to him, and he stopped laughing.
"That's a bit of a coincidence, the same sort of thing is happening here. Those East India bastards have moved in here as well. There is a man by the name of Welch commanding them. I have organized a milita and we are getting ready to take arms against him. We might need somebody of your caliber to help us on the political level."
After hearing both our situations, and taking a good look at them, I came to a decision that I would have to help beat back the EITC in Africa, if I was going to make it all the way back to Ireland, then to England. I told the man that I was in. He spoke of an English government official that was going to be visiting the Trading Co. Office in Conakry. He said it was believed to be the Chancellor.
"I don't know much about how the government works out, but I'll bet they have a few tricks up thier sleeve you can help us with. I'll let you make the calls here, But I just want the man brought in. Can you do that?" he asked
"I'll do my best" I said.
With that, he unlocked my restraints. I stood up and grabbed my sword off a nearby table. I walked outside and then......
"Mistress!" came a voice that interrupted my thoughts
"What" I exclaimed.... turning around to face the hill we were standing on
"We found tracks over there. Horse tracks. They've already been through here." said a man by the name of Gonzallo Fowler
"Curses! We'll need to move forward.... I say head straight to the capitol. We'll just have to stop and pick up a few guests along the way, Savvy?" I asked with a wink of my left eye.
"Of course.... heh heh heh" replied Fowler.
He shouted to the team and we all rounded up. I grabbed my sword and started cutting through brush in our way.
"We're gonna be takin' a slight detour to the capitol" I said
"Just don't get us lost lady" campe a raspy voice
I ignored the disbeliever, and we all began our march through the woods toward Conakry
Part 5: A Little Birdie
Date: April the Second, 1745 Time: 18:09 hrs Location: EITC Office of West African Affairs - Conakry, Guinea Faction: EITC Black Guard POV: Lieutenant-Commander Alvin Welch
What a fine mess this is. The rebels have grown intollerant of the delayed arrival of Chancellor Blademonk. He was supposed to be here to hold peace talks with them well over two weeks ago. I have sent letters to his office in England, and they have replied that he did indeed depart as scheduled. Why he is not here puzzles me, but I am almost forced to assume the worst. I'd bet he isnt dead.... but the Waste Tribe might have gotten to him. They may have started off as a small rebel force, but they were organized, they were growing, and they are everywhere. Even in the walls of the city. They're no dummies either. If they knew who the Chancellor was.... they wouldn't kill him. Which gives me hope that he is still on his way.
"Sir, we have visitors" came the voice of one of the guards that I hadn't noticed arrive.
"Who is it?" I asked the man... now identified as Lieutenant Charles O'Shaunessy.
"I didn't catch names, but they said they had information that you might find useful" replied the Lieutenant.
"You must learn not to bring in random peasants from the street soldier! If the organization worked like that we'd be a public information center. You'd better not........"
I was cut off in mid sentence when the door burst open. This wasn't like a kick in though.... 'twas almost like a small breaching explosion.
I drew a set of throwing knives, as O'Shaunessy pulled out a concealed pistol. We were ready to attack, but as soon as the door frame (now broken) had settled into place..... there was nobody there.
A few guards rushed in throught the doorway. They stopped when they saw us. They identified themselves and we lowered our weapons. Then, the lead spoke.
"Are you alright sir?" he asked
"My bloody door is in pieces! How do you think I am doing??!!" I shouted at the man who was ID'd as a Sergeant.
"Sergeant, what happened?" asked O'Shaunessy.
"Not entirely sure sir... we pushed the visitors out on the account that they had started to threatan us. Next thing we know.... BOOM!"
"Doors don't just explode by themselves Sergeant! Search for a source, and don't return until you find one!" I said to the man with a bit of axiousness in my voice. "Lieutenant, accompany them" I instructed further.
With a unanimous "Yes Sir", the men all exited my office through the now wide open door frame.
Welch's Breached Door
Hours later, I heard a knock on the door frame.
"Enter!" I shouted.
In walked the sergeant from earlier. I had done my file searches and found that he was named Thomas Bennett.
"What do you have for me Bennett?" I asked
"Something quite unique sir. It seems there is a little more to this story than just a hole in your wall." he replied
Intrigued, I said "Go on" and sat back to smoke a cigar.
"Well, the first thing we did was track down the ' visitors' from earlier. It turns out they were Waste Tribe men in disguise trying to assassinate you. Of the five people we captured, there are four men and one woman. The girl gave us the answers we wanted, so we spared her, but she is now in custody.
The other four are dead. Once the girl saw she was next in line.... she broke. She told us about how the tribe had sent men to sink the Battle-Royale which is the ship that the Chancellor was supposed to be arriving on. She said that their ships wer sunk, but they did do a decent amount of damage to Anderson's ship.
Then she told me how they had sent scounts towards the suspected crash site where the ship would run aground. They discovered that the English had a camp set up. The scouts escaped, but then report back a few days ago, that the camp was now surrounded by a wall."
"Typical." I said when I thought of Blademonk's defense strategy
"They have given us a location" continued Bennett. "It seems that they crashed in Southwest Senegal, and have camped about six miles from the coast. They are approximately 18 miles south of Gambia. It seems they were planning to pull into a nearby bay to complete repairs but that obviously didn't happen.
Finally, the girl's final report that had arrived to her two weeks ago, was that the Chancellor was no longer in the fort. They never figured out where he is. My guess is that he is en-route here by land travel."
The sergeant concluded his speech. I stood up, and tossed my cigar into the ashtray. After the flame died down, I took a few laps around the room. Pacing, thinking, planning. Finally, I came to a conclusion and turned to face Bennett. Just before I spoke, O'Shaunessy stepped into the room. I motioned him down to meet us and he stood across the desk from me with Bennett by his side.
"Here is what will happen." I began.
Lieutenant-Commander Alvin Welch
"You are to take the entire Eighth Divison with you, accompannied by the Third Naval fleet. You are to conduct a large scale Land/Sea search and rescue effort for the men onboard the grounded HMS Battle-Royale. There is information we have received that should lead you to their approximate location.
Along the way.... you are to check EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. On land, stop all people who are wandering along the countryside, and detain them in wagons as you make your way. By sea, give the flag to show that you are allied, and you wish to board. If they refuse you access, and flee... you have my permission to sink them.
Once you find the fort where the survivors are located, the Third Naval Fleet will rescue them, and tend to their needs as they are brought back here to Conakry. Meanwhile, the Eighth division will focus on gathering leads on where the Chancellor might be. You boys are not to return until you have Blademonk alive and well.
Any questions?" I asked as I finished.
"No sir!" they replied together.
"Very well. I shall send this information to all the HCO's that will be involved in this rescue effort. Bennett, you go with the Navy fleet. O'Shaunessy.... take with the Eighth."
They both nodded.
"The operation is to begin ASAP. The Third Naval Fleet will set sail at 0400 hrs. They will take the Eighth with them, but drop them off at the border into Senegal. From there, they will advance North until they reach the beachhead where the Battle-Royale crashed."
They nodded again.
"Alright! MOVE OUT!" I yelled as they turned and ran out the door to tell their men.
Thanks to that girl in the militia, I finally had what I believed to be a step up on them. I'd like to meet the man who runs them, and then drive into his face that a little birdie told me all about them. But first..... I'd like to meet my little birdie.
Part 6: The Road to Conakry
Date: April the Third, 1745 Time: 07:00 hrs. Location: Outskirts of Conakry, Guinea Faction: The English Royal Navy POV: Chancellor Ryan Blademonk
"Stop up ahead here" I said back to my men following me.
I had been making a several weeklong trip to Conakry with Captain Anderson, Petty Officer Gibson, and Sergeant Carlson by horseback. We had already lost Gibson's horse, so he was riding on the back of Anderson.
Up ahead there was a group of people walking down the road. They all looked to be fairly young adults all dressed in the typical clothes of your wayfering pirate. I then remembered however, that we were nowhere near the Caribbean. These men were all white, and they were wandering an African countryside. This troubled me so I began to come up on them. As they heard our horses approaching, the lead man spun around and waved at us.
"Over here!" he called. "We need your help!"
"Whoa!" I said to my horse, Hermod. He stopped along side the travelers, and my men came along and stopped along side me.
"Who are you?" I asked. "And what do you want?"
Chancellor Blademonk's War Horse, Hermod. As displayed escaping the Battle of the Telltale fortress (1741)
The travelers just stood there in silence. The lead walked over to us. Without saying a word, he walked in between our horses, looking up and studying each of us. Then he returned to his group and they all whispered among each other.
"If you don't mind, we do have somewhere to be." I said in a bit of an annoyed tone.
The lead traveler looked up. "Indeed you do..... sir" he said as he flashed an EITC badge.
"Lieutenant Charles O'Shaunessy, East India Trading Company Eigth Division."
The rest of the travelers took off their travelers robes to reveal EITC uniforms. I was plain flat out stunned, and so were my men.
"By god," I said to my men "that messanger bird made it!"
"No sir." said O'Shaunessy. "We never received any messanger bird. We got intellegence form a Waste Tribe leader."
"Tell me more about this rebel" I said. "And what specifically did he tell you?"
I extended my hand down to O'Shaunessy and he grabbed it as I pulled him aboard Hermod. The Eigth division agents mounted aboard the other horses.
"Ya!" I said and we all rode off.
"First off your excellency" began O'Shaunessy "he, is a she. A young girl by the name of Lorelei Calicoswine."
"Any connection to the Calico clans back in the Caribbean?" I interrupted.
"No sir, she made that specifically clear." replied the Lieutenant. "She told Welch everything. They were the ones that sent the ships to sink you. They also infiltrated the camp you had set up six miles in from your crash site. They know exactly where the camp is, and are no doubt planning an assault."
"I shall alert Blakely myself with a messanger hawk once we arrive in Welch's office." I said.
"No need sir." came an interjection from one of the men on an adjacent horse. "Welch has already sent men to the crash site. The entire Third Naval fleet, to be exact." They will reinforce your men at the camp."
The Chancellor Riding with O'Shaunessy's men toward Conakry
"Very well then." I said "Why are you all out here?"
"Welch sent the Eigth along with the Third, but they dropped us off at the Senegal border." replied O'Shaunessy. "We all split up and were scouring the nearby land for you guys. There are several other squads within the area. If they hear the call that we will begin giving shortly, they will halt their search and advance to the Fort in Senegal. Our specific mission now, is to take you safely to Welch's office."
I sighed. "Very well" I said. We will just have to trust Blakely to hold the fort long enough for us to get to the capitol, resupply, and join him back via Welch's ship.
"I guess diplomacy is out of the question?" asked Anderson with a jaunty amount of sarcasm
"It has been out of the question for the past month, Captain." I replied.
"Lieutenant, approximately how far out are we from the capitol?" asked Petty Officer Carlson
"About 31 miles. If we make haste we might be able to reach Welch's office before sundown." he replied.
"It is settled then." I proclaimed. "Onward men, we have a battle to join!" I yelled drawing my sword. The men rallied behind me, and we raced at full speed toward Conakry, and towards safety.