Indomitable

         Taizia stood at the starboard rail and watched the merchant ship they were following turn into the wind. It was a light wind, just lifting Taizia's hair off her shoulders, but it was enough to make her shiver. The sultry leather she normally wore for tavern brawling was not serving her well at sea. As she had done so many times in the past week, she turned to glare at the bosun. He had been leading the press gang that grabbed her as she walked home from the Broken Spoke late last Wednesday. As always, he noticed her glare and smiled cheerfully back at her.
         "Idiot," Taizia muttered to herself as she turned her attention back to the other ship. The Captain of the Indomitable, the ship Taizia was conscripted to, had the crew on high alert. "I don't like the looks of this one," Taizia had heard him mutter to the First Mate, "She's not riding low enough in the water for a merchant." Taizia studied the other ship carefully, but she couldn't see any difference between this one and the other dozen ships she had seen since the Indomitable set sail. Those other encounters had been simple. The intimidating presence of the Indomitable was enough to get the merchant ships to haul to, and the First Mate checked tarriff papers after the merchant crew rowed across. Afterwards, everyone got back to business. This time it felt different, and it wasn't just because of the Captain. The whole crew was on edge as they approached the other ship. The nonchalance of the past week was gone; watchfulness and readiness had taken its place.
         The merchant was slowly getting closer. The Captain was being cautious, moving in with the least amount of sail possible. Taizia steadied herself with one hand on the rail as the deck rode gently up and down under her feet. The Indomitable was strangely quiet. The snapping of sails and rigging, the rush of water past the hull and the yelling and cursing of the crew had all stopped. Instead the ship slid forward quietly with sails furled and crew silent. The creaking of the masts and the occasional slop of a gentle wave against the hull were the only sounds Taizia heard.
         "Master Sergeant!" the First Mate's yell made Taizia jump. As she watched the Master Seageant trot aft to the quarterdeck, Taizia wondered why the First Mate had yelled so loudly. That yell must have easily carried across to the other ship.
         "Yes sir!" the Master Seargent saluted the quarterdeck.
         "Marines to the focs'l, Master Sergeant," the First Mate continued in that same unecessarily loud voice. "And make it as noisy as possible," she added in an undertone.
         "Yes Sir!" the Master Sergeant saluted and spun on his heel. "Marines forward!" he bellowed, "Now! Now! Now!" Taizia felt his enormous voice as much as she heard it. Within seconds, marines were appearing from below decks and stomping forward. They formed up on the ship's forecastle with much clashing and clanging of armor and weapons. Hearing this, Taizia instinctively reached for a sword that wasn't there. The press gang had taken it from her, and she assumed it was locked up aboard the ship somewhere. If it came to a fight, she would have to improvise.
         Figuring the purpose of all the noise must have been to let the other ship know what they were up against, Taizia turned her attention there again. She could now read the name across the merchant ship's stern: Mercy Run. She could also see the ballista that was aimed directly at the Indomitable. She wasn't certain, but it looked like it was ready to fire. As she looked at it more carefully, a face popped up over the other ship's gunwhale, and then disappeared out of sight again. That war machine was being manned! Taizia turned to shout a warning to the Captain, but the lookout above beat her to it, yelling, "Pirates!" When Taizia turned back, the "merchant" ship was dropping its flag and hoisting the Pirate Jack. Taizia heard the ballista fire, and a large iron shot raked the Indomitable from fore to aft, cutting rigging and breaking spars. Splinters and tackle rained onto the deck. Taizia was impressed to see the crew maintain their stations. She felt better about getting through this alive.
         The Captain was now shouting orders to bring the Indomitable in before the ballista could be reloaded. The marines were readying lines with grappling hooks to pull the ships together. There would be brutal hand to hand combat within minutes, and Taizia didn't have a weapon. She turned to the rail and grabbed a pair of belaying pins. They were a poor substitute for her blade, but they were better than trying to fight with bare hands.
         "Taizia!" a shout from the other ship cut through the noise of battle preparation. Startled, Taizia looked across the water. There on the pirate ship stood Mariel. Taizia hadn't seen him in ages. He didn't look happy. "Taizia, you lubber!" he yelled, "What are you doing out here?" Taizia shrugged, which looked silly with a belaying pin in each hand. Furious, Mariel turned and started barking orders. Sails began to unfurl and the pirate ship began moving away. The Indomitable's marines tried to secure the ships with their grappling hooks, but the pirates were there immediately to cut the lines.
         The Indomitable's Captain shouted orders to get underway, and soon the ship was under all the sail she could carry, but it was no good. The ballista shot had done too much damage. The Mercy Run was pulling away. "Master Sergeant!" the Captain's cry came from the quarterdeck. Taizia turned to find the Captain staring at her, with murder in his eyes. She heard footsteps and turned to see the Master Sergeant approaching her with two marines in tow. She was really in trouble this time.