The day went by quickly, and for Jane it was over before it had begun. Captain Jackson had not been seen since the morning, and Mordecai had worked harder than ever before. Distracting himself from the strange looks given to him and his sister.

   The rest of the crew were dying to ask Jane or Mordecai what the deal was, but the senior crew members didn't leave them alone all day. The Captain wanted to explain it to everyone when the whole ordeal was over and done with, so he used Raff to instruct them to keep quiet, and they were watched just in case.
   The last thing the Captain wanted was for his crew to freak out and do something rash.

   Jane came up from the galley, her sleeves rolled up and her hair messy. She arched her aching back and walked over to the port side of the ship. Sighing, she leaned against the rail and bowed her head, not willing to see the curious looks shot her way. She looked down at her hands, surprised to see them trembling. Biting her bottom lip, she lifted her gaze to the stars and fiddled with the necklace around her neck.

    Nearby, Carson and Conner eyed each other, then converged on her at once. Carson's freckled face was set in concern and raging curiousity; Conner displayed more of a poker face, giving her an easy smile that to his credit, was rather dazzeling.
    "Oi, Jane," Carson began, "What did you-" he was cut off suddenly as a length of thick iron cord struck his lower back. Before anyone could think or cry out, the three of them were suddenly pushed forcefully together and dragged over the side by a lasso of the cord, splintering the railing. They fell in a heated tangle of limbs and torsos, and Jane felt herself enfolded protectively by both of the boys. They acted instinctivley, and it was best for Jane, who was on the bottom, that they did. With more splintering of wood, they crashed into the deck of another ship. Conner grunted, and Carson screamed. His arm had cusioned Jane's head, stopped it from smashing into the ground, and been broken.
    Before any of the could move, all three of them were struck on the head and knocked unconcious.

    Back on the ship, Raff, who had been headed their way to intercept the two boys, had seen what happened. He ran to the destroyed rail, leaning far over the edge. "Jane!" he cried, and was about to call for the others when what he was seeing really hit him. A Patrol ship, it's sails black and the weights hanging about it ship intricatly and sinisterly carved, veered out from where it had been hiding benieth them, somehow. "Red alert!" Raff bellowed with enough volume for every ear on the Cloudcutter to ring. "Battlestations! Captain Knight to the deck!" For a split second after his words, there was stunned silence all around; then everyone jumped into action. Alex and his gunners cranked the cannons up onto the deck while every other thing was lashed down.
    The Patrol ship angled away from them, making a u-turn to head back to the undertown they had left a few days ago. The Captain burst out of his office, back in his fine clothes, and sprinted for the helm, shouting orders as he ran. Raff told him what had happened as the Captain brought her about.
    Captain Knight swore under his breath. "Of all the times for the blasted Patrol to show it's ugly face," he fumed.

Mordecai heard the call to hands on deck and ran upstairs. When he got there he grabbed the first crewmember he could reach, who was J.J. "What's happened? What's going on?!" J.J. looked back at Mordecai with a face that seemed worried at first, but was all of a sudden horrified. At first, J.J. wouldn't open his mouth, as if afraid to tell Mordecai of what was going on. "J.J.! I need to know what is going on!" J.J. seemed about to wet himself, but he opened his mouth to speak. "It's Jane, she's been taken overboard by the Patrol! Carson and Conner too!" Mordecai realized why J.J. had been afraid, and now Mordecai had mixed feelings of horror and pure rage. He let go of J.J. and patted him on the back, then ran back downstairs to his hammock. Sitting there, leaning against the wall expectantly, was Mordecai's axe. He had gotten it from his father, and after he died Mordecai had only used it to actually kill a man once. The thought of killing made Mordecai uncomfortable, but those Patrolmen took his sister, and they were going to die! Quickly but reluctantly Mordecai took up the axe and weighed it in his grip. It seemed lighter than it used to be, then he realized that he'd become stronger for all his work. Mordecai swung it through the air with ease, and held it aloft admiringly. But he knew what he had to do. He steeled himself, and ran back up to top deck.
        Mordecai leapt onto the deck from the stairs below and took it all in. The running, yelling, tugging, hauling chaos. He looked over the side of the starboard bow, and off nearly 200 yrds and closing was a patrol ship; trying to escape Mordecai's and the Captain's wrath alike. Mordecai's anger flamed into hate, and all he could do for a moment was glare at that ship, and weigh swift judgement on all the souls onboard. Then he remembered himself, and ran back across the deck; seeing Captain Jackson on the helm. Mordecai approached and shouted from the deck."What's the plan of attack Captain?!"

   "We strafe 'em on the left side," the Captain bellowed to his gunners. "Avoid their counter strike and come around for another. We're smaller than she is; we're faster but less powerful." He paused for a minute to bodily throw a few levers, dropping the ship abruptly and taking advantage of the sudden drop to get some wind in their sails and speed after the Patrol ship, right on their tail. "We cut her weights, scuttle her, storm her, and get them back!"
   The Patrol vessel was twisted and dark, a messy thing of all sharp angles and spines. As they caught up to it, a name became visible in sharp silver letters; The Maleficent.
   Raff took up a strong position behind the Captain's left side, ready to back him up if the steering got difficult. Alex and his gunners, Beau and Gunny, manned three of the four cannons on the deck. Carson was also a gunner, and the Captain noticed his absence immediatly. "Conner is gone, too," he murmered with a stricken face. Turning eyes full of dispair and hard determination on Mordecai, he pointed to the unmanned cannon, a hunk of dark metal and sooty, exposed gears, an antiquated firing system involving loading a fist sized hunk of iron into the barrel, pulling a huge firing pin back and slapping the button to fire. "You won't be needing that, Mr. Mordecai," he shouted, nodding to his axe. "Man that cannon."

Mordecai nodded. "Aye Captain!! Though I certainly hope to use it." Mordecai said to himself after yelling to the Captain. He ran to the last gun on that side of the deck quickly and  assessed the situation. The Ammunition was neatly splayed in a net on the floor next to the gun, the firing mechanism was old fashioned but Mordecai remembered how it worked. Soon enough, Mordecai had loaded the cannon balls into the mechanism, was seated, and ready to fire. He rubbed his sweaty hands on the handle, bracing and steeling himself with the machine. he looked over at the other boys for reassurance. They seemed well enough, and the Captain looked almost ready to give the order. Mordecai put his eye back in the sights and concentrated on his target, getting closer, he waited for the command; his hands trembling with anxiety and cold excitement.

    "Fire into the weight pulleys!" the Captain yelled for Mordecai's benefit. They came into range of the other ship's cannons, and everyone on deck dropped when they heard the whistling and deafening cracks as the shots were fired. A split second after the shots began, the Captain suddenly swooped closer to the other ship, throwing off their gunners and giving his gunner's a closer target. "Fire!" he bellowed.

Mordecai flinched as the enemy fire whizzed over his head, then gripped the gun hard and fired the moment Captain Jackson gave the order. The world exploded and shook for a moment, and Mordecai's shot flew true. The ball crashed into the ship's hull and through the weight rope. At the same time, shots from all over the deck had gone off, and the more experienced cannoneers made Mordecai's shot look like child's play. Not only did they sever the weights, but with maximum efficiency and perfect momentum and targeting, they tore right into the enemy ship's hull and did even more damage.

    The Cloudcutter took her share of damage too, loosing some weights. Some of the levers up at the helm rattled as the weights they controlled were severed. The Captain threw more levers as Raff struggled to keep the ship on course and bring her around. The Captain moved with insane speed, compensating for the lost weights and gradually bringing the ship right again just as they rounded for another run. The Maleficent floundered, her helmsman not as fast as Captain Knight, and shuddered through the air. "Grapplers ready!" came the order, and the other crew members, even Brax, hefted big iron grapples on thick ropes, ready to hurl them at the other ship.
    Suddenly, the Patrol ran up a green flag of parlay. The Captain grunted. "They've discovered Jane only has the necklace," he said. "They'll be wanting the other peices as well, and don't want to risk loosing them if they destroy the Cloudcutter." He steered the ship out of their range and set her to hover as the crew set down their grappling hooks and started on some hasty, temporary repairs. Luckily, no one had been seriously hurt in the quick battle. Beau had been grazed across the cheek with a splinter of wood, but Dr. Damien already had it bandaged and Beau was as stoic as ever. A strained mood settled over the airship, as everyone worried terribly for Jane, Carson and Conner.
    The Captain confered in hushed voices with Raff, Wesley and Alex, with Brax hovering worridly near, then they raised the answering green flag, accepting the parlay. Raff walked up to Mordecai. "The Captain himself is going to negotiate the release of your sister and the other crewmen," he informed him gravely.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:25, Fri 14 Jan 2011.

Mordecai nodded to Raff, and walked back down the deck. He stood at the bow again, watching that ship. He discerned the name on the bow, though battered, he knew the name. Maleficent was a ship he had seen before, and one he didn't like. He knew what the souls on that ship were like, and they were colder than his had ever been. He hoped more than anything that Jane was unhurt, and that the others were alright. But he knew that they wouldn't be on that ship. He hoped that Jackson knew what he was doing, going to make terms with those men alone.
        Wait! Alone? I should think not! Mordecai immediately turned back to the deck and strode to the helm. Jackson was there, seeing to the ship being in order before he left it. Mordecai approached the helm carefully and addressed the Captain. "Captain, Sir!" Captain Jackson didn't even glance his way, but he heard Mordecai nonetheless. "Yes, Mr. Mordecai?" Mordecai did his best to remain discreet, but he could barely control himself. "I would request that you take a man with you than to go alone on this, hardly diplomatic venture."

   The Captain threw three more levers, locking the last in place slowly as his shoulders moved in a quiet sigh. The ship groaned and stabalized, from where it had been listing three inches to starboard. The Captain placed his hands on his narrow hips and turned to face Mordecai, his face stern. "Mr. Mordecai. Thank you for your offer, but I'm going alone."

Mordecai's face didn't change, he was good at keeping his cool. But inside his spirit was shot down. He just smiled. "Be careful sir!" Mordecai turned and walked across the deck. He reached the bow, and looked at the ship just a number of yards away. He narrowed his eyes, and made a sombre promise to the axe at his belt.

   The Captain blinked, having expected Mordecai to put up more of a fuss than that. Oh well, it was fine by him, as long as Mordecai didn't try anything foolish.
   He pounded out some details with Raff, quickly and quietly, about the music box and the heart-shaped trinket. They were not to be handed over, even if Jane and the Captain were both killed. In that case, they were to flee, and hide, and hope to get the necklace back sometime. But the Captain didn't beleive for a second that that would happen. He had had too many close scrapes with death, too many close calls and near misses for it all to lead up to this, and have him die right at the end. The curse was about to climax, he knew; he could feel it growing in him as all the artifacts came together.
   He would save Jane, and get the necklace off of her tonight. Then, they would see. The Captain put on his best suit jacket, austere black with pinstripes to match his pants, with a dark red woolen waistcoat underneith and a longsleeved white shirt. But no tie. Jackson hated ties.
   He stood by the helm, allowing himself to be seen by the other ship as being ready to negotiate. As soon as they signaled, he would go over to their ship. He felt the comforting weight of some throwing knives strapped to his legs and back, and hoped they would be enough.

   Meanwhile, as the other ship prepared to recieve him, the three captured crew members were put together in a small room in the bowels of the ship. All were tied to a chair, even Carson, who's arm was broken. All were still unconcious. In the middle of the room was an odd box about the size of man, with a window in the top, but it didn't look like it could be opened.

   Jane slowly began to regain consciousness, along with a terrible headache. She groaned, and lifted her head up to look around. Her heart skipped a fearful beat, and she looked around the unfamiliar room. She tugged at the ropes tying her wrists and ankles to the chair, and cried out softly. Too tight. She looked at Carson and Connor, calling their names softly.
   She could still feel the necklace, heavy against her chest. A part of her sighed with relief, and another groaned in despair. Her eyes were drawn to the strange box in the center of the room, and she called for the two boys again, praying that they would wake up.

    Conner was the first to whisper her name back to her, a few minutes after she'd woken up. His handsome face was twisted in pain as hers must have been, and his breathing was ragged as he looked around, his gaze staying on Carson for long moments. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

   "Headache... But," she looked at Carson, and his swollen and twisted arm, "...but my arm isn't broken." she shuddered, and tugged at the ropes around her wrists again, "Are you alright?"

   He nodded, also testing his bonds. "The Captain will save us." he said with certainty.

   Jane tried to reasure herself with his certainty, and glances to the strange box once again, "Do you know who has us?" she whispers, looking at him.

  He nodded again, this time with fear blatantly on his face. "The Patrol," he whispers.

   Jane's fear rises to the surface, and her breathing quickens, "No. No, no, no, no..." she shakes her head, "I'm wanted..." she drops her head, her hands clenching into fists.

   Conner laughs breathlessly for a few moments. "Every man aboard the Cloudcutter is wanted. It's the reason we took you in. You were being chased, and you would have led them right to us if we hadn't taken you and ran," his laughter turned to wheezing breathing as he rubbed his wrists raw on the ropes binding them, trying to make them wet with his blood so he could slip out. "The Captain has protected every one of us from them for years. But this time, somehow, they got the better of us."

   Jane laughed weakly, "Good to know." she tugged at the ropes around her wrists, bending down to try and bite them loose. Was it even possible to get off this ship? Probably. With enough luck, but Carson and his arm... Jane bit down on the rope hard, partially to keep herself from crying out.

Back on the Cloudcutter, Mordecai had been trying to think of a way to reach that ship, without being noticed by the Patrol or Jackson's crew. It was rediculous, Mordecai knew; but there had to be a way. Mordecai paced next to his hammock, absolutely furious. He couldn't think of any way that was at all realistic. He kicked a pile of ropes in frustration, and held his head in his hands. Suddenly, Mordecai had an idea. It was rediculous, but it might work. He gathered up all of the rope and measured it. It was definitely long enough to reach the other ship, but he couldn't go directly to it, he would definitely be seen. He coiled it over his shoulder and headed for the back of the ship.

    Up on deck, the Patrol ship finally extended a plank for Captain Knight to cross on. Raff grabbed his arm before Jackson could take a step. "Captain, with all due respect, this is ludicrous." he growled. "You shouldn't be risking yourself. Let me or Alex go." But again, the Captain shook his head.

    "The Patrol know about the curse. If any but I go, the negotiation will be mishandled. You guys don't know about the details; I do. I know things even those b***ards don't know. Now. If the worst happens, you know what to do. Save the crew, as many as you can." He gave a sad little smile and clapped his Quartermaster on the shoulder. "That little voice in my head is whispering about how this will all end. I'm not going to let it end that way."

    Straightening his jacket with a toss of his head, Captain Jackson stepped onto the plank, his face grave and determined.

    Tall, shaven-headed Patrol officers waited for him, long black trench-coats covering them from chin to ankle. The three of them took up flanking positions around the Captain, and they walked into a doorway leading below decks. Jackson's crew watched with fearful and proud expressions, fingers itching to do something to help their Captain and crew mates. But all they could do was be ready. They understood that. If they did something rash, it would only put their friends in more danger.

    No sooner than the Captain was out of sight then the Patrol officers struck, faster than he had anticipated. With a quick jab of a drugged needle on the Captain's neck, he collapsed in a boneless heap, his expression vaugely surprised.

    They carried him to the room where the still unconcious threesome were bound to chairs, and sealed the Captain in the box in the middle of the room. As they gradually woke up, he was actually in their midst. He stirred a little as the quick sedative wore off, and a rustling was heard from inside the box.

   Jane froze, her eyes turning toward the strange box on the floor. She watched it with worry and fear, "Um, Connor? Did you hear that?" She nodded her head toward the box.

    Connor looked confused. "No, what?" He looked toward the strange box, and was about to speak when the rustling came again, this time accompanied by a soft moan. A hand pressed against the little glass window on the top of the box from the inside. Connor gasped.

   Jane cried out, her heart skipping a terrified beat, "Someone is in there!" she said quickly, her voice hoarse. She drops her shoulders, giving up on reacting to surprises on this ship, and jerks on the ropes around her wrists hard. "Any guess as to who it is?"

    "None other than..." came a familier voice from the box, hoarse and weak sounding.
    Connor froze in realization. "Captain Jackson?" he asked, his voice trembling.
    "I'm afraid so." It was easy to hear the smile in the Captain's voice. Even in such dire circumstances, he was cavalier.

* * *
Back on the Cloudcutter, Mordecai had found a window at the very back of the ship that was low enough to avoid being seen by the Patrol up on their deck. Mordecai tied one end of the rope around a beam, and tied the other end around his waste. He looked out the window to see that the two ships had indeed pulled close enough for a plank. Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to swing to the ship. Mordecai chose a suitable weight hanging off of the back, and jumped quickly out the window. He grabbed the rope of the weight, very glad that this one had not been shot, and pulled himself up until he got a grip. There was a small window just a few feet from him, so Mordecai inched along the edge with his fingers. He peeked inside, and saw a small room with bunks on each wall. There was a Patrol man snoring in one of them, so Mordecai knew what he had to do. With skills he honed as a Burglar, he quietly cracked it open without a creak. He put an arm inside and hoisted himself in. The Patrol man began snorting and rolling in his sleep, and Mordecai seized up like a wet cat. Within moments, the man lay still again and commenced snoring. Mordecai slowly placed his feet on the ground, and drew the Axe from it's loop in his belt. "I only ever killed one man in my life, and though he would've killed me for the pleasure, I regretted it. But now, I have a reason to kill you b*$#@&ds." A solem oath screaming with delight in his mind, Mordecai raised the axe, and split the man's skull in two.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:46, Sat 19 Feb 2011.

   Jane slumps in her chair, giving up on her bound wrists. She sighs, "I don't suppose you could get out of that box using your charisma?" she asks half-heartedly.

Mordecai stood there for long moments just staring at the remains of the man. It was horrible, but Mordecai hadn't needed much incentive to kill him, and he wouldn't need anymore for the rest of them. He tread as quietly as he could around the room, looking for anything he could use. Soon enough there was really nothing for it but to clean the axe and check the man's pockets. Mordecai cleaned the axe on a neighboring bedsheet, and found nine silver peices in the man's pockets. "You aint got no use for them anyway." Mordecai crept to the door, peeked out, and began  to quietly make his way around the ship.

   Captain Knight laughed ruefully, his voice regaining its strength as the sedative completely wore off. "If only, my dear, if only." They could hear him moving about inside there, grumbling about the accomidations and the fact that they had taken all his knives before sealing him in. He started running his fingers over the box and then trying to force open the lid. As he did this, he asked "Are you three all right? I don't hear Carson."

   Jane looked at Carson sadly, "He...broke his arm, and hasn't opened his eyes yet..." she said with guilt, tugging with more vigour at the bonds on her wrists, the skin becoming raw and tender. She let out a soft sound of frustration, letting her head fall back, "I shouldn't have taken that necklace."

   The Captain hmmed, thinking that she probably didn't have a choice the matter. The curse uses who it will. But instead of saying that he chuckled. "Look on the bright side, Jane. If you hadn't taken that necklace and brought it to me, I'd still be looking for it," he said cryptically.

Mordecai crept through the back of the ship quietly, searching for any signs of Jane or Captain Jackson. He came across the captain's cabin, an intricately carved wooden door guarded by one of the Patrol. The man stood directly infront of the door, but seemed unaware of Mordecai's presence. Mordecai already had his axe in hand. He had avoided and slipped away from these men in fights, knocked them down and surprised them, but he had never engaged one in sustained combat. He knew he could fight, and watch himself, but he didn't fancy his chances against a Patrol thug by himself. Mordecai decided to try and end it quickly, raised his axe, and leaped around the corner; throwing the axe at the man's head.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:36, Tue 12 Apr 2011.

   Jane chuckled softly, and looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah, just my luck. Helping out a scoudrel Captain of a pirate ship." she shook her head and sighed, her cold hands going numb.
   The faint sound of footsteps came through the doorway, and got louder and louder. Jane turned to look at the doorway, her heart skipping a beat and speading up with fright. The captain had said that if the necklace got removed the wrong way, it could kill her. Did these people know how to take the necklace off correctly?

   Captain Jackson laughed, pausing for a moment in his rythemic banging on the box. But when he spoke, his tone was quite serious. "Hear them coming? If you two don't mind, I will do the talking. Say nothing of the curse. Claim ignorance about the necklace. You don't know the nature of the curse anyway. Don't worry, Jane," he said, aware that she must be worried about what he had said about the necklace and her death should it be removed incorrectly. "They know as little as you do. I'll talk them out of taking it off."

The Patrolman saw it just before it was to late, and jerked his head to the side; the axe taking his left ear off as it struck the door and fell to the ground. The man gritted his teeth and tried not to scream, apparantly more concerned with appearing manly than attracting attention.
     The man seemed convinced he didn't need help; Mordecai was all his. Mordecai didn't wait for the man to draw his sword, he stepped into the Patrolman's stance and elbowed him in the throat. The man jerked back and reached for his sword as his larynx was struck; not broken, but fairly damaged.
     Mordecai fell to one knee and rolled across the floor to avoid the man's blade; picking up his bloodied axe while he regained his feet. As Mordecai turned, he saw the man, blade drawn, begin taking a wide sweep of his sword to Mordecai's left. Mordecai grabbed his axe and slammed it against the wall; the haft pinning the blade with it.
     Mordecai tried to step in again, but the man was a fast learner. He punched Mordecai hard in the face and pulled his blade free. Mordecai was dazed and couldn't see through the stinging tears that came instantly, he threw himself into a wall and barely avoided a stab for his gut. He blinked his eyes clear and jumped back, away from the man to regain himself. Mordecai marshalled his senses and waited for the attack.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:49, Tue 28 June 2011.

   The door slammed open with a bang, and Jane jumped in her seat. She looked at those standing by the door, and saw five or six men in patrol uniforms. Her throat went dry, and she felt a shiver go down her spine. One of the men stepped forward, his cold eyes moving from one of the prisoners to the next, until he had looked at them all with disgust.
   "It seems that all of the puzzle peices are not in the same box, and you will tell me how to find them." he said, his voice quiet, but cold and threatening.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:59, Fri 13 May 2011.

    The man ran a hand over his bald crown, stepping forward to stand before the box. A thick, recent-looking scar marred his upper lip, twisting his mouth into a perpetual sneer. He thumbed it as he set his feet, cold eyes flicking to each prisoner, then down to the box as light-sounding laughter eminated from it.
    "Is that you, General Ribisch? What an honor! How's the face?" the Captian asked.
    General Ribisch's expression darkened. "This meeting will not go the same way as our last encounter. In fact, quite the opposite," he said softly. "We have two pieces, you have two pieces. I'm sure an agreement can be reached," he said, crossing to Connor and grabbing his chin, forcing him to look up. "This boy has such a pretty face," he murmured, almost to himself. "A shame, really. And the girl is so young," he sighed with forced regret.

   Jane started to tremble, and she gripped the chairs' arms to hide the fact that her hands were shaking. She looked away from the General, turning her head to the side while she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Jane opened her eyes and turned to look at General Ribisch, "Let him go.." she said softly.

Mordecai used his whole axe to parry and counter the Patrolman's onslaught, using the butt and haft as much as the head. Whenever Mordecai avoided or parried a blow, the man's sword parried his just as quickly. Mordecai was at a disadvantage, the Patrolmen trained like duelists; keeping their distance and swashbuckling their way through your vital organs with ease. Mordecai needed to get behind the sword, where he had the advantage. There was only one way.
     Mordecai parried one more blow, then grabbed the man's free hand with his own; and before he could bring his sword back around Mordecai head butted him right in the nose, but didn't let him go.  The man cried out as tears filled his eyes, but was quickly stifled when the butt of Mordecai's axe slammed into his sternum. His tearfilled eyes opened wide as he gasped for air, and he saw Mordecai raise his axe for the killing blow. Mordecai almost felt pity as he saw the man shut his eyes and try to cry with breath that wasn't his, but that didn't stop him.
     In moments, Mordecai swung his axe into the man's neck, and let him fall to the floor; watching him cringe until he bled out. Mordecai almost lost himself, watching the blood cover the floor. As evil as the man was, Mordecai did regret making him suffer a horrific death. He shook the thoughts out of his head and turned toward the door. "You should have thought about that before you joined the force." Mordecai reached for the door, and opened it slowly.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Mon 20 June 2011.

   The General turned his frosty gaze on Jane, increasing the pressure of his grip on Connor's jaw until the youth moaned in pain. Then, without releasing the boy, he took a slight step to the side and backhanded Jane across the face. "Know your place," he said in a lightly scolding tone, as if he was a parent gently chastizing a child.

   The Captain thumped twice on the lid of the box for attention. "General, there's no need to get rough. After all, that young girl has one of the pieces. And if you try to remove it the wrong way, it will kill everyone on this ship. We don't want that, now, do we?"

   General Ribisch grunted, releasing Connor to turn and face the box while the Captain was speaking. Connor bit his lip to keep from making a sound, bruises in the shape of fingerprints blossoming on his dark skin. A similar pain throbbed in Jane's cheek, and she knew that she must bear a mark as well.

   The General stepped close to the box and leaned forward slightly, peering down through the little window. He couldn't see Captain Jackson, but he was certain the Captain could see him. He leered. "And how do you know this will come to pass? You're not just lying to save your skin, are you?" he growled.

   "Of course not, my good man. It's just that, unlike you, I am actually under the curse, so I have the good fortune to be able ask the spirit in the music box. It told me that it requires a sacrifice to remove the necklace. If the ceremony is mishandled, it will take the lives of all around it. Mishandling meaning forcefully removed. There's a certain way to do it without killing everyone, and only I know how."

   At that, the General was silent for a moment, considering. Finally, he chuckled darkly. The sound sent shivers of uneasiness along Jackson Knight's spine.

   "My dear Captain Knight. How arrogant you are. Let me tell you something. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that now I have no choice, that now I have to let you and the others live because you think I need you for the ceremony. Well, Jackson, that is indeed an option. But, you have been a particularly annoying thorn in my side for just too long. I still need to pay you back for that night in undertown," he said, again rubbing his thumb along the scar on his lip, "When you got away from us with the heart trinket. I've been giving it some serious thought... and I think I just might kill you anyway."

   After a moment of silence the Captain laughed. "You'd kill me, and get rid of your only chance to control this curse? I've been doing research, General. For years. I know details you couldn't possibly have found."

   "Indeed, you might," the General admitted, running a hand over his shaved head. "But I happen to have an ally here, Dillon," he said, gesturing at a shaven-headed youth standing off to the side, wearing dark glasses and a nasty sneer. "Who is just marvelous at getting the secrets out of people. I think I'll have him set to work on your crew members, until you tell me of the ceremony. After that, when I get my hands on the music box, all your 'research', as you call it, will not matter. All I need to know is the ceremony to remove the necklace. Tell me now, before I accidently kill someone."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:36, Sun 22 May 2011.

   Jane glanced at Dillon, wondering what his eyes looked like beneath the dark glasses. She shivered, a chill running down her spine. Her cheek throbbed, and she looked at the General, and then down to the box that held the Captain. A sudden flare of anger welled inside her chest, how dare they put him in a box in the first place?
   "Coward..." Jane muttered, her voice raising with more anger than fear of the consequences, "Coward! You don't even dare speak to the Captain face to face! You threaten others instead of him. You're nothing but trash!" she nearly screamed, channeling her fear and clenching her hands into fists.

   Again, the General casually backhanded her across the face, on the other cheek this time. He tutted. "Learn your place, girl." he said agian in a strongly reproving tone.

   The Captain rattled the box lid. "Jane, remember what I told you!" he said desperately, referring to when he had asked them to let him do the talking. Jane's outbursts could only get people hurt, or worse.

   The General ignored him. "I think she needs a lesson, as does the good Captain. Dillon," he said, and the man stepped forward eagerly. General Ribische pointed to Carson, still unconcious, his broken arm red and swollen. Dillon bowed his head once, then smiled viciously as he walked toward Carson. Connor cursed quietly, straining hard at his bonds, but said nothing. The Captain rattled the box lit again.

   "General! If you do anything to hurt my crew, you won't get a word out of me! Not a--" He was cut off by a terrible scream from Carson. Dillon had wrapped his strong fingers around the break in his arm and squeezed; Carson's eyes flew open and filled with tears, his body spasming as he tried to get away from the pain. "No, stop!" the Captain shouted, now pounding with all his might against the box, to no avail. "Stop! Stop!"

   "No, Jackson!" the General bellowed over the screams, his face twisting in a sick smile, "This is your lesson! A punishment for you, and for sweet little Jane," he leered over at her, as if wanting to drive home that Carson's pain right now was her fault.

   Carson continued screaming as Dillon cruely pulled and twisted at his arm for an agonizingly long time, the wet grind of bones grating against each other filling the silences where he stopped to take ragged breaths. Connor was shouting too, crying hopeless tears, but the Captain's box had fallen silent. He was listening to the screams, eyes closed, engraving the pain Carson was feeling into his memory so that he would never forget. He swore vengeance on the General. Not in the form of a disfiguring scar like what Jackson had left on him during their breif fight in undertown, for all the harrying, but true vengeance. The General had gone too far, and would die the next time they met.

  No matter what Connor or Jane shouted, Dillon continued his terrible task.

  Finally, the pain seemed to become too much for Carson, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fell unconscious. Dillon stepped back, breathing hard, his hands now stained with crimson, Carson's arm a bloody mess of torn flesh and exposed bone. What was a minor break that could have been healed was now a catastrophe that might result in Carson loosing his arm, if he survived this day.

   Her voice sore from screaming, Jane let her head drop and she began to sob. Tears ran down her cheeks, and her hair fell down in a curtain to hide her face. Something inside her chest burnt out, and she looked up at Dillon with complete loathing and hatred. But no matter how hard she tried to blame him, she knew it was her fault. She bit her lip to quiet her sobs, but tears continued to run down her cheeks.

The General listened to the sobbing with a beatific smile on his face. The Captain's box was stony silent. Dillon stepped softly to Jane, and used a thumb to wipe away some tears, smearing Carson's blood on her face. He smiled; she saw up close that his teeth had been honed to points.

   Jane turned her head away from Dillon's hand, attempting to get as far away from him as possible, "Don't touch me..!" she nearly hissed, glaring up at him in hatred.

   Dillon's smile never wavered, and he chuckled lowly before leaning back and away.

   The Captain's box remained silent. The General waited for some time, then smacked it with the side of his boot. "Jackson. You alive in there?"

   "I am," the Captain answered in a low, dangerous tone. "But you soon won't be."

   General Ribische laughed, throwing back his bald head. Oh, Captain Knight. Always the kidder. I'm afraid it is you who will soon no longer be with us. Now, am I right in thinking that torturing your young friends will only seal your lips further?"

   The Captain didn't answer. The little glass window was getting a bit fogged up from the heat of his anger. "If you touch them again," he finally whispered, "I will use the curses power to melt the flesh from your bones."

   Again, the General laughed. He had a coarse, bawdy laugh that grated on the senses. "You are really something! My dear boy, you should realize that I have been doing as much research as you. We both know it is not possible to call on the curse in that way."

   Captain Jackson's voice rose suddenly in rage. The box rattled as he pounded his fists upon it. "And how would you know what it's like to be under this curse?! How would you know what it can and cannot do?! What the spirit trapped in the music box has been through?! How could you possibly want this?!?!" he nearely screamed.

   The General listened with a stony, stoic face. He gestured to Dillon, who walked to the wall and slid a wooden panel aside to reveal a hidden lever.
   "That has nothing to do with you. I want it. That is all. And I can't have it as long as you have it. So, my dear Captain Jackson Knight, I'm afraid that this will be your last few moments in this life."

   Dillon pulled the lever. An incredibly deep moaning sound permeated the ship. The General closed his eyes and sighed, listening. "This is a singular ship. Built specifically for hunting and capture... and interrogation." He squatted and leaned over the little window in the box. Jane saw Captain Knights fingers wipe at the glass, clearing it of fog. "Weren't you wondering why we would put you in this box? You didn't think it would be easier to just tie you to a chair, so you could see the faces of your kids as they screamed? No, it's because I had plans for you. Now," He rested an elbow genieally on the box, "You tell me how to remove the necklace from the poor girl's neck, or I'll take her back to undertown with me and have her beheaded, while I watch from a safe distance, of course."

   The deep rumble was gradually lightening in pitch as the General spoke, until it was more a medium ranged gurgle. Everyone heard the Captain gasp as he suddenly felt cold liquid fill the bottom of the box. The smooth metal on the inside was watertight; the Captain shivered, in cold and in horror. "Water!?" he exclaimed in surprise.

   "No!" Jane blurted, pulling against her ropes again, "You can't do that!" she nearly yelled, looking at the General pleadingly.

   The General crooked a finger at Dillon. "Drag her closer," he ordered. "I want her to watch. And gag her, for heavens sake. No more interruptions whilst I have a talk with our dear Captain."

   No sound, save the gentle-seeming gurgle of water, came from the box. Conner could barely believe what was happening. He was determined that something would happen, something would save the Captain. Something always had before. Still, he watched in abject fear, silent so as not to attract attention.

   Carson remained slumped in his chair, blood pooling on the floor beneath him.

   Dillon pulled a handkerchif from his pocket and roughly stuffed it in Jane's mouth, pulling his fingers free of her teeth before she could bite. He then secured that in place with another 'kerchif, and pulled her chair right up against the other side of the box. She could see the shadow of the Captain's face, the glint of light reflecting off the slowly rising water.

   Jackson was doing some quick thinking. He couldn't escape from this box on his own. He knew rescue wasn't coming; no doubt his loyal crew back on the Cloudcutter thought he was in control, that negotiations were taking place. He had suspected a trap; he hadn't expected it to be sprung so soon. That was bad form. Everything about this had gone horribly wrong, because the General wasn't playing by the rules.

   He remained silent as the water slowly crawled up his body, making him shiver. A horrid death was in store for him.

   "Well, Captain?" the General cooed. "Either way, you die. Might as well do some good, hmm?"

   Captain Jackson went over his last instructions to Raff. The big Quatermaster knew the General could never get all the pieces. That would be unimaginable, such an evil man with access to such power. He knew he could very well die today. But Jane, Conner, and Carson... maybe they still had a chance. Especially Jane. Her brother needed her.

   "General..." came the hard, quiet voice from the box. "You bastard. If you swear to release my boys and Jane after you are done, I will tell you."

   The General smiled, the expression looking particularly nasty because of the disfiguring scar Captain Jackson had left on him.

   "I swear."

   Jane stares hard into the box, her eyebrows coming together and raising slightly in question. She chokes on the gag and coughs, struggling for air for a moment. Inhaling shakily, she glances up at the General as he swears, glaring daggers at him.
   What if he was lying? It wouldn't surprise Jane at all to know that he would stab someone in the back if it ment that he would climb the social ladder. She pulled at the ropes tying her wrists to the chair, cursing at the General while he couldn't understand what she was saying.

  Captain Jackson growled fiercly. "If you don't honor your oath, I will haunt you for eternity."

  The General chuckled. "I don't doubt it, old friend. Worry not; after this, I will finally be rid of you."

  Jackson rattled the box again, water splashing around at his movements. "There's really no need to kill me, Ribische. This is ridiculous. I won't beg, but I'll ask you politely; release me."

  General Ribische sighed. "Sorry, I just can't. I've hated you for so long, chased you for so long, now that I've finally caught you, I can't let this oppourtunity pass."

  Anger crept into Jackson's voice. "This is rediculous! It makes no sense. Why kill me, when I'm the only one who knows the secret!?"

  "Because I'll kill these young people if you don't tell me before you die. Horribly, slowly. They'll linger for hours. Dillon is quite talented." In his corner, Dillon smirked, a thin sheen of sweat covering his shaved head.

  The water was rising up over his chest. He swallowed against the hard knot of panic and fear rising up his throat. " If you would be so kind as to lean in closer, General. The secret is..."

  The rest was delivered in a whisper, only audible to the General, whose ear was pressed to the lid of the box. The last words were gasped as the water rose up his throat; Jane could see his face pressed up to the air bubble at the little glass window. His eyes were wide and frightened, his breathing quick as the General leaned back with a satisfied smirk on his face.

  "Remember your oath, Genera-" The Captain was cut off as the water closed over his head. Thin streams of water squirted from the sides, onto the warped wooden floor below. Dillon lifted the lever; the gurgling sound of water faded away.

  The water filled box was silent, as Jackson Knight was faced with a quandry. Should he breath in the water, make it as quick as possible? Or hold in his breath for as long as he could? After a split second of consideration, he chose to fight. It was possible he had doomed everyone by telling Ribiche how to remove the necklace; but he hadn't told him everything. The General would get a nasty shock once he tried it. But if he had made things ultimately worse, in this, at least, he would fight. He would fight until the end.

  The box rattled with his panicked movements, but it didn't give any more than it had before. Be banged repeatedly at the little glass square, the only thing visible to him now, a few inches of light. It was too small and thick to break. His pounding became more frantic as his lungs began to burn.

  Outside, tears were running freely down Connors face as he witnessed his Captain struggle in vain.

  Jane was close enough to see his final moments. The crashes became weaker. She saw three of his fingers press up against the glass; they shook as they clenched into a fist. Finally, after over a minute of weak pounds, they stopped. Captain Jackson Knight used the last of his strength to pull his body up to the little window, and put his eye to the light.

  His green eye fixed on Jane with an intensity she had never before felt. There was also a desperation in that eye, as if he was drawing strength from the very sight of her. Suddenly, Jane felt something. Like another person was suddenly with them in the little room. She heard a sound like a far off, agonized wail of grief; right after that her mind was flooded with an alien presence. All thought of hers was erased, drowned out by the words screaming through her mind with a nearly incomprehensible volume and power.

"HE IS DYING FOR YOU. FOR YOU. IT IS AS IT SHOULD BE, BUT I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS, JANE LEWIN. FEAR NOT. HIS EMOTION HAS GIVEN ME STRENGTH. GET ANGRY, JANE LEWIN. YOU WILL BE MY LINK ONCE HE PASSES. FOR THIS, HE MUST DIE. BUT I CAN SAVE HIM, IF YOU FEEL. I WILL HAVE TO BREAK THE RULES. IT WILL HURT, BUT FOR HIM, IT WILL BE WORTH IT. YOU CAN GIVE ME THE POWER TO HELP HIM, JANE. FEEL. REALLY FEEL."

  Then, as quickly as it had come, the presence was gone. No one else seemed to have noticed. It had only taken a moment; Captain Jackson was still looking at her. As he did, he began to convulse; all at once, he lost the battle. He pushed away from the glass as his visible eye widened in terror and pain as he gasped water into his lungs. The little window was blocked by his long, vibrantly red hair.

  The box jittered for a moment more in his final, agonized throes, then was still. The window was dark, a single, small bubble wobbling against its clear surface. The General had rested a hand on the box throughout the whole ordeal, and as the Captain died, a cold grin spread across his face.

   Jane began to tremble, her heart began to pound like never before, and her senses jumped to a new level. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and she sucked in a breath past her gag. Her eyes turned to the General, and the smile on his face added fule to the fire in her chest. Adrenaline shot through her body like a shock wave, and she screamed.

   Her chest felt like it was being torn in two, and she couldn't think of a word to describe it before the feeling was gone, and a new emotion took hold. Hate, anger, saddness, grief, loathing, revenge, hope. She let the emotions run loose, no thought for herself, only for the man in the box. He couldn't be dead, and whoever spoke to her, could bring him back. He wasn't dead, she shook her head and laughed, it only being a few seconds since his death.

   Jerking back on her bonds, Jane nearly tipped her chair over. She screamed like she had never screamed before, until it felt like her throat would rip apart. She began to yell her emotions at the General, her words muffled, tears running freely down her cheeks as she wiggled an ankle loose from the ropes. She kicked viciously at the box, determined to feel everything she could, as much as she could. The kick sent her chair skidding backward, and she leaned forward to keep from tipping over.

   Sobs wracked her body, and she nearly choked on the gag, the handkerchif wet from her tears. She hung her head, gasping for breath as her emotions turned her into a different person, and something inside her snapped.

  Connor was screaming as well, not obstructed by a gag, maddened by the drowning he had just witnessed. Tears streamed from his dark eyes. Dillon took a step towards him and struck him hard across the face, knocking him senseless, and silent. But the General motioned for him to stop when he reached for Jane, an exhultant look on his face. He drank in her sadness and grief, her muffled screams, as sweet to him as a fine wine. He threw back his head and laughed, laughed long and loud.

  When he was done laughing, he got up and went to the wall where the lever was, and lifted it up halfway. With a shudder and a deep gurgle, the water began to drain from the box. As it did, Ribische pulled a ring of keys from a pocket in his long, dark coat, and once again knelt by the box, his eyes on Jane. It seemed he meant to torment her further. He selected a key from the ring, and thrust it into a lock on his side of the box. He turned it laborously and completely around, and with a wet sucking hiss and a loud clack, the box was unsealed. Still he leered at Jane, waiting until the water was completely drained. Once the noise stopped, the General grasped the side of the box, and lowered it to the floor. It opened on the side; the hinges hadn't been visible to Jane or Conner, and the Captain thought it had opened on the top, concentrating most of his effort there. He had been wrong.

  General Ribische reached into the box, and grasped the cold arm of the man he had just murdered. Chuckling, he hauled the Captains sodden body out of the box and onto the floor, where all could see it. So sound or movement of breath came from him; his hair looked like a splash of blood, spread across the wet floor and slashing across his deathly pale face. He flopped limply as the General moved him off the lid, then closed the box. His flamboyant suit was wrinkled and clung wetly to his limbs. His striking green eyes were half open, and there was no light in them. The Captain was dead. His lips and fingertips were already turning blue, the skin under his eyes darkening almost as they watched.

  The General stood triumphant over his adversary's still body, watching Jane and Conner for their reactions. Conner sobbed softly, consumed by abject greif and misery, his eyes on the Captains dead eyes. A little drip of blood flowed from a small cut on his cheek where Dillon had hit him.

   Jane slowly fell still after her eyes fell onto the Captain's face. At first, she held back, not wanting to give the General the pleasure of knowing that seeing him dead made her feel lost, and abandoned. Then she remembered the words of the voice, and her tears began anew. Jane clenched her hands into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms painfully. Feelings roiled through her, like the feeling of being on a ship in the middle of a storm.

   Tearing her eyes from Jackson, she turned her burning gaze to the General. Feeling hatred for the man that murdered her Captain, the man who had taken them in instead of throwing them out. Hatred for the General, hope for the Captian, and the desire to see her brother again burst another fountain inside of her. She sobbed freely, struggling to breath past the gag. She wasn't too far away from the General, when he opened the box he got closer to her.

   Glaring, she screamed and lifted her free leg, kicking out at the General with all of her confused and powerful feelings. She had never felt like this before. Gone was the quite and shy Jane, aloof and peacefull. Now, she didn't know who she was, but she did not miss the shy girl from before.

                         *     *      *      *      *

     Mordecai was in the General's quarters the whole time. He had been filling his pockets with all the small and shiny things he could find. Money, mementos, rings and medals. Mordecai chuckled as he pilfered everything that wasn't nailed down. He was turning to go when he noticed one thing that he had missed. From where he was standing he could see under the General's bed. Lying hidden beneath it was a small black box. Mordecai crept over to the bed and pulled out the black box; turning it over in his hands. It was simply a small black box you might put anything in, but it had a sinister feeling to it.

     Mordecai opened the box and reached inside. There was nothing there but a key. A key that looked like it was made from human bones; Ribs and a hip bone made the small handle, while leg and arm bones ran up the neck to head,  that was made from what appeared to be skeleton hands and feet, intertwined into strange ridges and shapes. Mordecai felt like rubbing off his hands as he examined this key, holding it felt like running your hands through a thin layer of oil. Mordecai grabbed a nearby cloth and wrapped the key in it, then hid it in his pocket and stole out of the room.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:50, Mon 20 June 2011.

    Jane's kick landed solidly on the General's thigh. Nothing happened. He didn't even stagger. He regarded her briefly with a look of mild annoyance, which cleared up quickly when he returned to gloating over Captain Jackson's dead body. Still, he took a few steps away from her chair.

    General Ribisch stepped to the door, turning back to them all with a cheerful sneer. "I have to go now, kids. So sorry I can't stay, but there is an enemy ship off our port bow that needs taking. Dillon," he said, and the youth stepped forward eagerly, his hands still red with blood. "Have fun." With that, the General left, closing the door softly behind him.

    Dillon turned to face Connor and Jane, hands clasped behind his back. He regarded them with a tilted head, horridly similar to how an artist regards a blank canvas. After a while, he reached into his coat and pulled out a simple blade, short but sharp, with a bone handle. He smiled as he walked toward Jane, adjusting the knife in his hand.

   Jane was scared of Dillon, and her expression made that very clear. Using her free leg, she pushed the chair back away from him, but not fast enough. "You stay away from us!" she nearly screamed, raising her free leg to kick him.

Mordecai skulked through the passages of the ship, trying to find Jane or the Captain. He reached a door that led into another hall, and was about to open it when he heard very heavy footsteps getting closer to the door. Mordecai gasped quietly and desperately searched for somewhere to hide. There was nothing but a stark iron chandelier above his head, and he had no other choice. He jumped as high as he could and grabbed it, then pulled his torso above it and lifted his legs straight out underneath it just as the door began to open.

     He hung at an angle as he clung desperately to the chandelier, but thankfully he was high enough above the man's head that he did not see him. The man was dressed well in obviously fine but strong fabric, and a cloak hung softly behind his shoulders. He had to be the Captain of this ship, and he was going back to his quarters!
     Mordecai waited until he was clear of the man, than lighted onto the floor and ran the other way. He was just getting to a stop when he heard some muffled screaming. It was coming from a door just down the hall, and Mordecai ran to it. He placed his ear to the door to hear better, and it was Jane! He swung the door open to find Connor, Carson, and Jane tied together in chairs, Captain Jackson lying on the floor, and a man holding down Jane's leg; slowly bringing a knife to her face.
     Mordecai's eyes flared wide open with fury and he ran at the man, raising his axe behind him and lunging forward. Dillon raised his head after hearing footsteps but didn't think them hostile to him. He focused his attention back on Jane. "Back to see the show General?" CRUNCH! Mordecai cleaved his axe into the back of Dillon's skull and the whole thing nearly splattered like a watermelon. Fortunately for Jane, it didn't. Mordecai wrenched his axe back out of Dillon's head and kicked him over. He turned back to Jane hurriedly. "Jane, are you alright?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Fri 01 July 2011.

   Jane nearly started crying with relief when she saw Mordecai. Both of her cheeks still stinging with blossoming bruises, "I'm fine, but Carson..." she faultered, "He needs help, we need to get out of here. Quickly!"

Mordecai looked over at Carson, tied up next to Jane, and nearly shouted at the sight of his arm. The Carson's arm was horribly mangled, bone was jutting out of wrenched flesh and the very arm seemed to limply hold together. Mordecai whipped out a knife and grimly set his jaw as he cut the ropes quickly and caught Carson as he slipped off of the chair. Mordecai gently hoisted him over his left shoulder; he was considerably strong and could still hold his axe in his right hand. He turned to Connor who was still sitting in his seat, sobbing and listless. Mordecai shook his shoulder and he jerked up with a start. "Connor, can you walk? We need to get out of here, now!"

  Connor turned tear-filled eyes on Mordecai. "I... can walk," he finally said softly, and his gaze returned to the lifeless Captain. "But what do we do... what do we do without..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:57, Sun 10 July 2011.

   Jane stood up once Mordecai cut the ropes, and walked over to Connor, "Trust me when I tell you he will come back. 'Kay?" She grabbed his arm and pulled, her own eyes filled with tears, "But we have to go now."

Mordecai adjusted Carson on his shoulder and turned to the door. "Connor, I'm sorry, he meant a lot to me too, but we have to get out of here if his sacrafice meant anything." Mordecai cast his eyes down and stepped out the door, then turned and looked both ways. Turning back to Jane he nodded. "Come on." He started walking down the right hallway.

Connor regarded Jane with wide, uncertain hazel eyes, eyes that had seen his Captain die and now refused to hold on to hope. It would be to painful if the hope was fruitless. Silently, he followed the siblings, casting one last agonizing glance back at the Captain's still body.

Mordecai continued quietly, carefully checking around every corner and door in the ship they passed. Hefting Carson once in a while for comfort. Soon, Mordecai was sure they were nearly to the deck, and that the General had discovered that his room had been ransacked by now. "Connor, is there a way we can signal the ship to help us escape? Through one of the windows here, perhaps?"

Conner looked at the windows dispiritedly, and shook his head. He pressed one hand against the thick glass. "These windows aren't made to open," he said. "The only windows made to open on air-ships are the state-windows in the captain's cabin."

   Jane kept hold of Conner's hand, and looked up at Modecai with a firm nod, "Then to the Captain's Quarters we go. We have to get off this ship fast." then she hesitated, and frowned anxiously, "But, where is it?"

"I know," said Mordecai. "But I wouldn't suggest going back there. I saw a REALLY big guy going back that way, and..." Mordecai gave his pockets a jingle, hinting at the shiny things they were loaded with.

   Jane lifted up onto her toes with a gasp, "You didn't!" she hissed, lifting a hand to slug him in the shoulder "Why did you do that? Just- No, nevermind. Show us where the room is." she whispered desperately.

Mordecai heaved a sigh and looked back the way they had come. "Ok, but this isn't gonna be good." He led them back the way he had come, back past the room where Jackson lay, and past the chandelier he had clung to. Soon they neared the Captain's Cabin, and there was loud rummaging and cursing coming from inside. Mordecai's face paled, he knew it was the General.

     "Where is it?! Bloody hell, where is it!?" The General was inside, tearing through everything looking for something. Mordecai's hand instinctively moved to the pocket where the wrapped Skeleton Key was. If this is it, and I'm captured, he would certainly find it upon searching me. Maybe, just maybe he wouldn't search someone already imprisoned. Jane seemed intent on the door, and who was inside. Connor seemed not to notice anything. Mordecai then slowly removed the Key from his pocket, and moved to gently lift Carson off of his shoulder; subtley placing the key in his pocket, while gently laying him on the floor away from the door.

Connor turned to Mordecai. "We'll have to go another w-"

His whispering was cut off as the door slammed open, a livid General Ribische suddenly revealed. The General, a trained soldier, reacted quickly to the young people outside his door. His first kick dropped Connor, who curled up on the ground, retching as he clutched at his middle. A solid backhand struck Jane across the face and she bashed into the wall of the narrow hallway, blonde hair flying. The General stepped over her prone form and advanced on Mordecai, eyes wild. "Where is it?" he asked in a frighteningly civil tone, and lashed out.

Mordecai didn't really have time to react, but luckily enough, he gently tripped backwards over Connor as the General lashed out to grab him, and he fell away from his grasp; hitting the floor. The General didn't hesitate to go after Mordecai again, and Mordecai didn't wait for the General to do so. He scampered across the floor at full speed until he was on his feet and running down the hall; not looking back for fear the furious General was the last thing he would see. Surely enough, the heavy pounding on the deck right behind him was the General, and he was catching Mordecai up. Jane, I love ya, and I hate to leave you back there, but I'm no good to you dead. Since Mordecai had been lying his whole life, he had no trouble shouting back at the General as he ran. "You will never see it again General, I threw it off of the ship first chance I got!!" Mordecai at first hadn't thought his lie through very carefully, being chased as he was. He was only concerned with keeping Jane safe, and not letting Ribische find the key on Carson's person. He thought this would discourage Ribische searching Carson for sure, but when the General let out an infuriated scream and began running harder than before, Mordecai realized it didn't matter where he went on this ship; he just needed to run MUCH faster.

  The General was intent on catching Mordecai and killing him, no matter the cost. Inflamed as he was, he didn't notice a slight flicker of movement off in one of the other hallways, in the direction of the torture chamber where Captain Jackson had been killed.

  Mordecai was so set on escaping he didn't notice either.

  General Ribische ran full speed into a devestating left hook that took his feet out from under him, landing him flat on his back in the hallway with a deep, throaty grunt as the air was driven from his lungs. Blood trickled down his chin from a split lip as his unfocused eyes rolled.

  A tall figure stepped out of the narrow side hallway and loomed over the General. When the fallen Patrolman finally focused and saw who was standing above him, his eyes widened in insane terror and he screamed.

  Captain Jackson Knight waited a moment for the high-pitched wail to peter out, staring down at his nemesis with blood-shot eyes. Dillon's thick-bladed knife was clutched in one hand. Dripping wet, he clunked heavily to one knee beside the panicked General when his breath finally ran out.

  "Guess who, you bastard. I've come back to haunt you. You lay a finger on my crew, and you die."

  General Ribische drew another breath to scream again; Jackson plunged the knife into his throat, and the scream turned into a gurgle as blood sprayed from the wound. Captain Jackson stared vehemently into the General's eyes until the light of life fled them.

  As soon as Ribische's body went slack, Jackson leaned back and fainted against the wall.

Mordecai had run nearly another minute before he heard the scream and realized the General was no longer on his heels. He stopped at a soppy trot and nearly fell over, he had never run so hard nor so long in his life. His throat burned dry, his legs felt like planks, and his sides ached. He looked back and realized the heavy set footsteps that were the generals had stopped following him a while ago. So Mordecai laimly limped and hopped back the way he came, tracing his steps to make sure he didn't make a wrong turn.

     Soon, he rounded a corner and nearly pissed himself; General Ribische lay oh the floor in a pool of his own blood, and the soggy dead Captain Jackson lay over him. Mordecai was not sure whether he was dead or not, but he didn't really take time to examine him. The thought of Captain Jackson being undead or otherwise returned to life spooked him badly after his heart-pounding chase with the General. He trotted past the two as quickly as he dared then hobbled all the way back the way he had gone; back to find Jane.

   Jane moaned, her entire head pounding painfully. She was laying on her side at the edge of the hallway by the wall she hit. Opening her eyes slightly, she got nauseous and dizzy, forcing her to close her eyes. Lifting a hand, she put it to the spot on her head where the sharpest pain was coming from. Jane felt warm blood, and concluded that she must have hit her head against the wall harder than she thought. Dropping her hand back to the ground, she took in a few deep breaths to steady herself, and tried to push herself up with shaking arms.

Soon Mordecai came hobbling around the corner he had first turned in his escape from the General, and found Jane on the floor still trying to rise. He quickly got down to his knee to help her up carefully. "Jane! Are you alright? Can you stand?"

   Jane sat up and nodded slowly, "Yes, I think so." she looks up at him in confusion, trying to stand, "What happened?" she turned to look at Carson and Connor, her eyebrows coming together in worry for her friends.

Connor was curled into the fetal position, a little vomit smeared across the floor from when the General had kicked him in the stomach. He was unconscious, and so was Carson, whose condition had worsened from loss of blood. He was very pale and breathing shallowly.

Oh dear, thought Mordecai, I'm the only one NOT injured.  Mordecai rested a hand on Connor's shoulder, gently shaking him. "Connor, are you ok? Can you stand?"

Connor groaned and coughed, eyes flickering as he struggled to get them down from being rolled up in the back of his head. "Wha... what?"

Mordecai didn't try to lift Connor just yet, he thought it best to give him some time. "Take it easy Connor, we are still stuck on the General's ship. We need to think of a way off." Mordecai then looked over to Carson on the floor, looking even worse; and the Key still resting in his pocket. "We also need to help Carson somehow." But even Mordecai couldn't think of something real to help him. "Gagh, I wish I was a wizard!"

Connor choked out a laugh at Mordecai's last statement as he laborously pushed himself into a sitting position, raising a hand to his pounding head and then to his bruised midsection. He leaned back against the wall and opened his mouth to speak, but froze before a sound was uttered. His blue eyes bugged and his jaw went slack as he saw something behind Mordecai and Jane; something that knocked the breath out of him as surely as the General's kick had.

Should Mordecai and Jane turn to look, they would see Captain Jackson Knight rounding the corner, alive and walking tall, wringing out the tails of his coat.

Mordecai took a moment to notice Connor's expression, and wondered what the the matter was. Suddenly Mordecai had an inkling, and began to turn slowly.

   Jane put a hand to her head to try and stop the bleeding, her head pounding to the beating of her heart. She frowned at the look on Connor's face, and and turned to look, "What is...?" her voice died in her throat, and it seemed to be replaced with her heart. She stared at Captain Jackson with wide eyes and blood running down the side of her face. That voice had been right, the Captain had come back! She smiled, tears coming to her eyes.

Mordecai stood agape; with his eyes bulging out of his head. He stifled a shout, and swallowed it down. "C-C-C-Caa...?"

The Captain brushed at his heavily sodden jacket and wrinked waistcoat, eyes lowered as he stopped before them. He was still pale and the skin under his eyes looked bruised, but a slight flush of life had returned to his cheeks. His long red hair stuck to his neck and forehead in thick, dark strands. "Gentlemen," he said as he tugged at his lacy sleeve cuffs. "And Jane," he added on. "I'm really sorry about all this." His voice was hoarse and he coughed wetly after he spoke.

Mordecai's expression didn't change. "Well, that's ok," He said breathily. "It's not like I've drowned or anything." Then suddenly Mordecai snapped awake and blinked in awe at the Captain. "You're alive! How is this possible!?"

   A sob came from Jane, and she stood up to stumble into Captain Jackson, her arms wrapping around him in a hug. Seeing him alive again made her feel like everything was going to be alright. She wasn't abandoned, he wasn't dead, how could things get any better?

   Her head rushed dizzly after she stood up, but Jane looked up at Jackson with clear eyes, "Was it her?" she whispered, "The voice?"

Captain Knight wobbled a bit when Jane stumbled into him, and his arms hovered awkwardly for a moment before settling on her back and patting her reassuringly. His lank hair dripped water on Jane's head and his clothes were sopping and cold. His eyes showed a little confusion at her words, as well as a surprising tenderness that showed the depth of his fondness for her. "Her, yes. I'll explain later, and I expect you'll have a little explaining to do as well."
He gently took her arms at the elbows and pushed her to arms length, toward Mordecai. "But right now, we need to concentrate on escape. It's only a matter of time before we're discovered or the bodies are discovered, so we need a plan to get off this hell-ship."

Mordecai shrugged. "I got over by swinging out a window, by a rope, out of the back of our ship. But I doubt that we can get back the same way."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:36, Mon 27 Feb 2012.

   Jane set a hand against the wall, mixed feelings filling her up. Happiness, confusion, fright. The situation was unique, both joyfull and terrifying. Jane decided to go into slight shock, and deal with the emotions after they had gotten off the ship. Putting a hand to her head, she had seemed to stop bleeding for now, she looked at Captain Jackson, "Could we steal a lifeboat?"

Jackson leaned back a little as his hand went to his chin, considering Jane and Mordecai's input. "This ship is large enough to harbor a lifeboat or two. But there's no way we can get up on deck without being seen... unless we had a distraction." They could practically see the gears turning in his head, and a wicked smile spread across his face. "I've got an idea. Word should have spread by now about my supposed death, but they're keeping it quiet, waiting for the General's orders to attack the Cloudcutter. I'll go up on deck and give them a haunting they won't soon forget. While they're occupied with me, you three, carrying Carson, will sneak aboard one of the lifeboats." His piercing green gaze went to Conner, who was staring at his Captain with relieved tears in his eyes. "Conner will pilot it. You'll bring it up and out fast, and cruise along-side the Maleficent to pick me up." Conner nodded confidently.

Mordecai hefted Carson up over both shoulders carefully; discreetly checking his pocket for the hidden key while he did so. Once Carson was up, Mordecai stood with Carson almost laid out on top of him. "I have but one question," he said, "Do I get to kill more of those blood-sucking pigs later?"

...
   They all stood breathless at the bottom of the stairs that led to the deck. Jane's eyes were fixed on the figure of the Captain at the top of the stairs above them. She stood behind Mordecai and Connor. They had decided that if he was to stear the life boat, he should be in first. Then Mordecai to get Carson on, and Jane to take up the rear.
   Her heart was pounding, and her mind kept going back to the voice she had heard when Captain Jackson was, dead. She pinched her eyes shut, forced it from her mind, and looked back to the Captain.

Mordecai shrugged Carson on his shoulders, not allowing himself to admit that he was starting to get tired. "We're ready when you are Captain, break a leg... or two, heheheh." Mordecai was ready to move the moment Connor was clear, and he couldn't wait.

Captain Jackson waved a quieting hand down at them, then reached up to reflexivly pat his sodden jacket. It was utterly ruined, and his best scarlet silk waistcoat, too. His long red hair was still plastered to his face and neck, moisture leaking from the tips. Darkened by the water it looked rather like fresh blood, and Jackson knew he didn't look the elegant captain he liked to appear as. In fact, he looked like he had one foot in the grave. He smirked as he watched the deck carefully for the right moment to appear. He was counting on that.

Not so long ago, he had been dead. He remembered the tight urgency of his body, the growing, undeniable need to take a breath. The cold agony of water filling his lungs, of choking on it until all pain ceased and there had been blissful, heavy silence and a glimmering light above him. Then even that had gone, replaced by darkness where, for the first time in years, the burden of the curse had been lifted from his soul.

That had been nice. But now it was back, and all the weight of his duty with it. He swallowed down his disappointment; he was almost sorry that dirtbag Ribische hadn't lived long enough to experience the full brunt of the curse, and realize what a foolish thing it was to want it.

It had hurt, coming back to life. He had awoken, choking out a surprising amount of water, catching the barest movement to his side, where Dillon, General Ribische's twisted assisstant, was slumping lifeless to the ground.

When Jackson saw the gaping wound on the back of the Patrolman's head, he knew that the spirit in the music box must have breifly animated the corpse and pressed the water out of his lungs, got is heart moving again. He also knew the spirit must have suffered greatly in order to accomplish that, and was touched that she would go to such lengths for his sake. When this was all over, he would thank her. Maybe also ask her how, with him dead, she had managed to have any influence on this plane.

He felt shaky and ill. His breathing was raspy and he could almost feel a little water still sloshing around in his sore chest. He was very thoroughly chilled, but had to concentrate on the task at hand. He flashed a confident grin in the direction of Jane and his boys, before straightening up and regally stalking out into the open, in full view of most of the crew out on deck.
"Greetings, malcontents. I have returned from the dead to wreak my awful vengeance on your sorry hides. Prepare to die."

The effect was incredible. About half crouched and cowered in terror, and the other half ran. One or two fainted dead away. Captain Knight smiled wickedly and motioned behind him for the others to come up.
"There is no escape!" he thundered, laughing horribly and advancing on those who were cowering, a languid, dripping, pale phantom. A few more slumped to the deck.

   Following behind the boys in a mad rush, Jane cleared the stairs last and followed the boys to the side of the ship. She glanced over her shoulder to the panicing crew, and did not see any of the horrified sailors even glance their way. She smiled to herself faintly, and looked back to see Connor in the lifeboat, and Mordecai stepping in carefully with Carson over his shoulder.
   With another glance to the Captain, she climbed down into the lifeboat to take a seat beside Connor and across from Mordecai.

Mordecai lowered Carson into the netting and stowage at the bottom of the life boat, and without hesitation drew his hatchet and started climbing back onto the deck.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:01, Wed 25 Feb 2015.

Connor pointed at Mordecai. "Stop him! he cried. "We've got to take off!"

Captain Jackson's laughter turned briefly into a hacking cough, and he thumped his fist against his chest a few times. When he looked up he saw a few of the Patrolmen who had run off were peeking at him from behind cover, and one or two were quite obviously getting over their fear and reaching for their weapons.

Jackson took as deep a breath as he could manage in waterlogged lungs. "BEWARE! My touch is damnation for all eternity!" That made a few more shrink behind their cover, but not for long.

   Jane jumped forward to try and grab Mordecai's leg, "Stop! We have to go now!" she glanced toward the Captain, and for the first time since seeing him, she began to worry about their escape.

Mordecai stopped, his head just below the edge of the deck. He wanted to know what was going on up there, he wanted to help the Captain... and he wanted to give those Patrolmen a piece of his mind. He looked back at Jane, and realized he was forgetting himself. He heaved a sigh as heavily as one might weigh anchor and dropped back into the lifeboat. He hunkered down and secured Carson, holding him gently but tight.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Wed 25 Feb 2015.

Connor revved up the simple steering mechanism on the lifeboat, a small craft that could hardly be called buoyant, meant only to remove crew members from a failing ship and get them safely to the ground. Snapping to life a few small heat lanterns, he handed two of them to Jane, and pointed to the two nets full of bits of flight rock attached to the back of the craft, currently very cold and straining toward the sky.
"Start warming those up. We don't want to zip away once I detach us from the hull." He turned and started doing the same to the single net attached to the bow.

Meanwhile, Captain Knight was surveying his work with his hands on his hips, a little disappointed. Most of the crew had fled, slinking belowdecks or crawling under anything handy. A handful were warily approaching him, swords and clubs held in white knuckled grips. Shrugging his shoulders, Jackson missed his knives. A few flicks of his wrist would normally deal with these fellows just fine. He hadn't brought his cutlass to the 'negotiation' in the first place.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw no lifeboat in the sky. He gave a short sigh, then turned back, considering the men that approached. There were five, three with swords, two with cudgels. The ones with swords wielded the thin rapiers favored by the Patrol, and one even had a short dagger in his off-hand. The cudgels were fire-treated ironwood, the least naturally buoyant wood, and as if that weren't enough they were also studded with short metal spikes.
His next glance scoured deck around him. He found no discarded weapons. Another sigh.
"Well, gentlemen," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Think you can take on the spirit of Captain Jackson Knight? General Ribische thought so too. In case you didn't know, he's lying in a pool of his own blood. But his horrible death has not yet satisfied my need for revenge before I can pass on. I suppose you'll have to do."
That made them hesitate even more, but with glances back and forth, they still didn't turn and run.

Mordecai looked down at Carson, and at the horrible mess that used to be his arm, and realized he didn't know the first thing about how to take care of it. A little more anxious, Mordecai practically cradled Carson, hoping to jostle him as little as possible. He began to rap the bottom of the lifeboat with the butt of his axe in anticipation.

   Jane took the heat lamps and hurried to the back of the boat. With a lamp in each hand, she plunged her right and then her left into each of the flight rock nets. Not caring about the scrapes, she does her best to move the lamps through the rocks to heat them as quickly as possible.

Captain Jackson decided that dying twice in one day for his crew was acceptable. Glancing once more over his shoulder and seeing no lifeboat, he turned to engage the approaching assailants completely. Still hoping to scare them off, he raised both arms and stalked purposefully toward them, groaning and growling horrendously.
To his satisfaction, two of them fled, one with a sword and one with a cudgel. The others cringed, but came forward to meet him. Three were much better odds.

It seemed to take ages before the ropes gained some slack, the flight rocks now warm enough to sink a little. The sounds of fighting came from the deck above them, shouts and grunts and screams, weapons clanging.
Conner, after instructing Jane to stop heating and help Mordecai secure Carson, peeked over the railing. He saw Captain Jackson fighting against two men at once with a thin sword. One man lay dazed on the deck, bleeding from his mouth. Even as he watched, his Captain took a hit from a spiked cudgel; the bright red of his coat was wetly dark in several places now.
"He can't get to us," he whispered, but then he saw something that gave him hope. He turned and smiled at the siblings crouched below him. "The Cloudcutter. She's coming."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 19:29, Tue 10 Mar 2015.

Mordecai was so distracted he almost didn't hear Connor, and when he looked up and saw the Cloudcutter coming in he barely stifled a shout. As Jane started to get a hold of Carson Mordecai asked Connor "Can you see the Captain?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 22:02, Sat 14 Mar 2015.

   Jane wrapped her arms around Carson, holding his head against her cheek. Though she didn't see the Cloudcutter for herself, she felt a wave of relief rush through her like a soothing balm. Looking at Connor with hope in her eyes, she said in an excited whisper, "We need to get the Captain aboard."

Connor turned his face to address the siblings though did not take his eyes from the desperate fight. "He's fighting the Patrol. He's fighting two at once." He suddenly barked a hopeful laugh. "One! He's fighting one. Let's get cast off. Once he's finished that fella off we can pick him up."
Connor reached out to Mordecai for his axe. "Gimme that! I'll cut us loose!"

Captain Jackson stepped over the twitching body of the man he had just killed as he pressed the advantage of shock and fear against the other man. Unfortunately he recovered quickly and locked the Captain back into a stalemate of parry, thrust, parry, thrust. The cudgel-bearer was down, and just as well; that bothersome man had landed three hits, to his ribs, left thigh, and a glancing blow across his shoulders. All throbbed heavily. But not his many cuts from hits scored by the swordsman. Those stung like fire.
Jackson threw back his head and laughed wildly, half in the hope of unsettling his enemy, and half from the pain of life. Death was so much more quiet, comforting, painless. It was funny, if you thought about it.
He saw the Cloudcutter coming for him, and laughed harder with joy and thoughts of his bed in his snug cabin. It was unsettling his opponent, and the mistake the Captain was waiting for finally arrived. He twisted his blade around the other man's as he swung it wildly into a bad position, knocking it wide. He lunged forward and the thin blade slipped through ribs and punctured the heart. The other man looked at him with such chagrin that Captain Jackson almost smiled apologetically. All feelings of guilt vanished, however, when the falling man swiped at the Captain's legs, scoring a deep hit clear across the side of his right knee. The leg immediately crumpled.
With a strangled oath the Captain tumbled to the deck, thoroughly hamstrung.

Mordecai hesitated, he almost growled deep in his throat. He fingered his axe and looked at it, he'd never hand it over to anybody... but he felt Carson slumped against him and couldn't get up to do it himself. Come on, Mordecai thought to himself. This isn't some Patrol, this is Connor. You'll get it back. Grimacing to himself that he'd even had to think about this, he grudgingly tossed it to Connor.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Wed 06 May 2015.

   Jane watched as her brother tossed his axe to Connor, her eyebrows raising in reaction to his action for a split second before her attention is drawn to the railing of the ship by their side. She wished she could do more, but holding Carson was what needed to be done, so she did it.

Connor deftly snatched the axe out of the air, and in the same motion, whirled and brought it down on the thick rope mooring them to the Maleficent. Immediately the flight rocks lifted them several feet, but because they were still warm not too much height was gained. Just enough that Connor could see the moment his Captain fell.
  "Captain Knight!" He almost leapt from the lifeboat onto the deck. Almost. But his responsibility to the three people in the boat with him, his crewmates, held him back. With a shouted oath, Connor slapped his hands at the simple controls and got them moving. "We've got to pick him up, somehow," he growled. "The Captain's injured," he shouted back to Jane and Mordecai, holding the axe out behind him so the brother could take it back. "We've got to... somehow, we've got to..."

Using the rapier as a crutch was no good. The blasted thing snapped under his weight and he was back where he started. Again, Jackson found himself wishing for his good sturdy cutlass. His other leg was just fine, but maneuvering with a useless leg that hurt like the dickens was no picnic. He was out in the open, nothing for him to grab to help him stand. There was one of the masts fairly nearby. If he could get to that and pull himself up, he could hop to the edge and fall into the lifeboat. With a growl at the indignity of it all, Captain Jackson started crawling, arm over arm, towards the black painted mast.

At the helm of the Cloudcutter, Raff pointed when he saw a flash of red on the dark decks of the Maleficent. "There he is!" and then Brax, leaning anxiously on the rail, his apron fluttering in the wind, pointed to a puttering little lifeboat that drifted into view from the other side of the enemy ship.
  "And there!" he cried, squinting. "Is that... is it Connor?"
  Alex bounded up beside him, the master gunner's single hazel eye sharper over distances than the cooks. "Aye," he growled. "With the other three behind him." A few feet away, manning one of the deck cannons, Gunny turned to look at his mentor, his usually rosy cheeks pale.
  "Why are they lying down?" he asked in a voice cracking with worry. His eyes were as sharp, if not sharper. "Do you think they're alright?" Alex glanced over at his apprentice, scratching around his eyepatch the way he did when he was worried. Then he grunted and shook his head, stepping away.

Mordecai saw the Captain crawling toward them, bloodied, and he saw also that there were more Patrol still on the deck. They were a distance from the Captain, but they must be getting over their fears by now; it didn't take a genius to see that Jackson was not invincible... even if he could be immortal. Mordecai was not watching his Captain die a second time. He began to rise, slowly shifting Carson more solidly onto Jane. "Have you got him?!" He said.

   Jane secured Carson in her arms, bracing a foot against the side of the boat to keep them as secure as possible. She nodded to her brother, "I've got him." She cradled her friends head against her shoulder, taking a moment to place her fingers against his neck and check his pulse. It was weak, but it was there.
   With her eyes on the scene before her, she began to whisper to Carson. Encouragement and assurances that everything would be alright. She didn't know if he could hear her, but it was something she could do, so she did it.

Mordecai stood, snatched the Hatchet from Connor's outstretched hand, and leapt over the side back onto the Maleficent. The moment his boots touched down on the deck he was sprinting. He was wasting no time getting to Jackson. "Captain!" Mordecai nearly shouted as he got close.

"Mordecai!" Connor's horrified shout chased him as he ran.

Captain Jackson looked up and saw him. "You fool boy!" he shouted, attempting to wave him back to the lifeboat.

Mordecai didn't slow down unti he reached the Captain, he dropped to a knee at Jackson's side and summoned his strength to get Jackson to his feet quickly. Mordecai tried to take the arm Jackson had been using to wave him away, and get his shoulder under him.

The Captain growled as he let the boy help him to his feet. "We will have words later, Mr. Lewin," he said darkly. But then his tone changed. "Having said that, thank you, and go faster."
His hurt leg would take no weight. He floundered and hopped as hard as he could, leaning heavily on Mordecai. Both his legs burned. His other thigh was bruised from a cudgel blow, and Jackson knew that if he fell, he would not get up again.

Connor slowly brought the lifeboat around again, trying to get is as close to the rail of the Maleficent as he could. He misjudged the distance though, and the rickety boat bumped sharply up against the other ship. Connor winced as he dove for the railing, his hands slapping onto it and keeping them from bouncing away, and turned to look behind him as Carson moaned into Jane's shoulder. "Hurry!" he called to the pair shambling towards him as his shoulders began to ache, and his fingers turned white from the strain of holding the little boat in place. "Hurry, Mordecai!"

Mordecai felt his feet pounding hard on the deck with every step he took to bring Jackson closer to the lifeboat, and the Captain's weight making every footfall heavier than the last. Despite the pounding in his ears and his chest he could hear shouts ahead of him and shouts behind. He could see Connor holding on to the rail ahead of him and saw the strain in his face. Mordecai pushed harder, and with a rising shout practically lifted Jackson off the deck entirely as he bounded over the rail.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Mon 29 June 2015.

One of the shouts from behind came from one of the Patrolmen who had fled from the ghost of Captain Jackson. But he had hidden nearby, and watched the fight. It took him a while to catch on after being terrified by the ghost, and then the ghost's fighting prowess, but... ghosts didn't bleed. This ghost was leaking all over. The Patrolman finally decided to grow a backbone as the bulky youth helped the ghost to his feet. He snatched up a slender harpoon from a pile nearby, used to hunt large birds for food. There was no rope attached to it, but he was only doing this for show anyway. A few of his fellow Patrolmen were making shows of chasing as well.
So he roared, and hurled the steel harpoon like a spear.
Unfortunately, he had a good arm.
The flash of silver reflected in Connors eyes, and he had just started to look up at it when it struck.
Mordecai and the Captain had just leapt to get over the rail. Mordecai had the Captain's arm over his shoulder and his face was twisted with the strain of heaving the man into the air. The missile passed just under the Captain's arm, leaving a small cut.
It struck Mordecai in the side, passing between his ribs and puncturing his heart.
Jane's brother was dead before he hit the deck.

The Patrolman who threw it blinked in surprise, and glanced at his fellows to check if anyone else had seen. A few had, and were nodding in approval as the lifeboat streaked away. He allowed himself to swell up with pride. He would be getting a promotion out of this disaster. What a good shot!

In the tangle of arms and legs, it took everyone in the boat a moment to realize what had happened. Connor, afraid to look, concentrated on piloting the lifeboat in a beeline towards the Cloud Cutter. He had seen the harpoon fly. All he could do was get them home as fast as he could.
Captain Jackson was laughing breathlessly as he tried to rise under Mordecai's dead weight. "You... fool boy," he wheezed as he finally got an elbow under himself and pushed up. His smile vanished when he saw the film of death over Mordecai's eyes, the slackness in his face. The Captain swallowed, dread making his heart sink, blood draining from his face until he was once again as pale as death.
The boy was lying mostly on his front, as was the Captain, their legs bent up against the edge of the boat. The Captain reached out and put his hand on Mordecai's shoulder, pushing firmly but gently. Mordecai slowly rolled, revealing the short length of silver rod embedded in his side, at a downward angle. The very tip of it was protruding just below his breastbone. The Captain swallowed again. The angle... it must have destroyed the boy's heart. A little blood leaked from the wounds, but not much; no heart beat it from it's veins.
Captain Jackson looked up into Jane's blue eyes as his filled with tears.

   With a cold, frozen feeling sitting heavily in her chest, Jane looked at Jackson's expression and realization sent the world into muffled silence. She slowly tore her gaze from the Captains' and looked at her brothers' body, seeing him, but not seeing him at the same time. She couldn't hear the boat, and couldn't feel the wind. Still cradling Carson in her arms, she sat motionless with disbelief on her face.
   Jane looked back up at Jackson, tears running hot down her cheeks and her mouth partly open in a voiceless moan.

In moments, they were beside the Cloud Cutter. Crew members rushed forward, shouting with concern and relief, securing the little lifeboat to the side of the ship. Raff bellowed orders from the control deck as he piloted them away from the Patrol ship as quickly as possible. Hands reached out to help Connor, to gently lift Carson from Jane's grip, to guide them from the last vestige of their ordeal back home. After the others saw Mordecai's body and the tears of the Captain and Jane, a brittle silence fell.

The Captain refused all helping hands, and tried to lift the dead boy alone, but his wounded leg wouldn't even support his own weight. Gunny and Beau jerked forward when the Captain stumbled, Beau steadying him from the deck of the Cloud Cutter, and Gunny jumping into the lifeboat to help manage the body. Beau's dark eyes were locked on Mordecai's dead ones, a deep sadness in the lines of his face. Gunny's nose was already red and running, his eyes puffy and bloodshot as he sniffled. The Captain grudgingly allowed them to help.

Andrew and J.J. held Carson between them. Andrew's head was twitching, the tick in his neck almost making his whole body shiver with grief. J.J. just stared with his huge blue eyes, face almost blank. The Doctor hovered behind them, watery eyes flicking from Carson's arm to the Captain's many bleeding wounds, and occasionally to Mordecai's limp form.
Brax came running up and plucked Jane from the boat with his long, strong arms, and cradled her to him like a baby.
"Oh no," he moaned as he saw the others trying to help the Captain carry Mordecai's body out of the lifeboat. "Mordecai...

Wesley was standing in the doorway to below-decks, weeping silently. Dirk stood near him, a piece of rope turning over and over in his hands. His eyes were firmly on the deck; he didn't seem to really understand.

Alex was standing nearby, manning one of the small cannons in case the Maleficent decided to give chase. His eyepatch was facing them, but the set of his jaw betrayed his emotions.

   Jane held onto Brax with an iron grip and buried her face in his shirt as sobs racked her body. Helpless moans left her throat unbidden, and something in her chest stopped feeling.  She was barely aware of the deck swaying as the ship turned and stated to move. She closed her eyes and put her shaking hands over her ears, the image of Mordacai's lifeless body refusing to leave vision. Maybe she hadn't seen what she had thought she'd seen..
   She opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, looking for Mordacai with a fearful expression.

Gunny, Beau, and the Captain were just placing him on the deck. Captain Jackson stayed on his knees beside the boy, eyes lowered as silent tears dripped down his face. The doctor knelt on Mordecai's other side, reaching out to touch the exposed tip of the harpoon that killed him.
"There's nothing that could have been done," he whispered. "He died instantly." A deep sigh escaped him as his shoulders slumped. But he immediatly straightened, looking at the Captain. "But there is something that can be done for you sir, and for young Carson. Boys," he said, turning to Gunny and Beau. "Help the Captain to my quarters please."
Then he got up and collected Connor, who was standing in a daze, his various wounds crusted with dried blood. He shot Jane a concerned look, but left her with Brax and went to Andrew and J.J., telling them to hurry along and bring Carson too.
Wesley stepped up to Mordecai's body as the silent Captain was led away.
"Alright, lads," he said sadly, his hunched shoulders making him seem smaller than he was. "Let's move Mordecai somewhere where he will be comfortable until we can organize the funeral."