City of IF

[Kalanna Rai]

Many of you have already seen this but many of you have not. To eliminate confusion I give you these words of advice. Think 17th century sailing ships in the 41st century seasoned with lots of dark humor...Enjoy!
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Prologue- The Dying Wish

The slim figure stood over the slowly cooling body with a pensive look on his normally angelic features. Grabbing the bottle from near the dead man's hand, he walked a few feet over to where a rock jutted from the sand. Dusting some sand from the top of the rock he sat nimbly, his filthy breeches catching the last of the sun's rays. Taking a hearty swig off the bottle he resumed his contemplation of the dead man.

"You do realize what a predicament you've put me in Red? Don't ya? I mean it's not that I don't have the inclination to bugger off and watch your kids, wherever and whomever they may be, I don't have the time. I've got a debt to pay mate." The corpse, of course, didn't reply and the man took another pull off the dirty bottle.

Twisting his dirty fingers in his hair he yelped and pulled them back when the strands cut in, drawing blood. Shaking his hand a bit and sucking on the wounded digits, he looked from the bottle to the cuts and back. "Nah. I'd probably catch something if I poured this on there." He made a mental note to break himself of that habit, it just wasn't healthy now that he had steel wire for hair.

Once again the body drew his attention. "I know you're probably standing in front of the Maker himself pleading your case Red, but I haven't got a case to plead mate. My only hope is to pay back that debt and hope Himself keeps his hands of Meself. You understand don't you?" The body didn't reply and the slim man stretched wide his wings, drawing little designs in the sand around the rock.

He looked up, to where his ship waited for him, could almost feel her beckoning. Standing a little unsteadily, he gingerly tip-toed around the body, all that remained of Bloody Red Savage, one of the great Pirate Lords. Something, morbid curiosity maybe, made him stop and look back, squinting at the corpse's face in the waining light.

"You realize you don't look so good mate. I realize that you're dead and all, I mean I've got your blood all over me, but still...I've seen better looking dead men. You just don't have the same...spark you had in life. Know what I mean mate?" The body made no reply save that it grew cooler.

In life Red Savage had stood an impressive six foot ten, with shoulders wider than two other men and a booming voice. His scarlet mane of hair, like a lion, had instantly marked him out as much as his height. Into that hair, and the beard he'd grown to match, were braided trinkets. Only a few, not nearly as many as some. One in particular had the slim man's attention.

He looked around, even though he knew there was nobody anywhere remotely close to this deserted spot aside from himself and the corpse. Then he moved over and reached out a hand, grabbing the gleaming trinket and yanking it clear. He looked guiltily about as he cleaned the hank of red hair that had come with it off the end. "You won't be needing this anymore, will ya mate? I mean it was mine to begin with...it's not like I'm stealing anything from ya Red."

Red remained dead silent and the slim man glanced back toward his ship, watching for a few seconds as she sat there against the red horizon. He started toward her and, reaching the edge of the waves, spread his wings as if to take off. But, as he glanced back over his shoulder at the body, he heaved a sigh. "You expect me to bury you, don't you Red?" Turning around and scowling as salt water soaked his already filthy boots, he picked his way back to the body.

"I've got nothing to dig with mate unless you'd be willing to lend me a hand?" He paused then sighed into the darkening silence. "Of course not. I didn't suppose you would. Fine, I suppose there's something around her I can use." However, after glancing around in a board manner several times, he saw nothing he could use as a shovel. He took another long swig off the bottle and realized it was empty. Turning it upside down he stretched out his tongue to catch the last drops, scowling plaintively as if a dirty look by itself could put more spirits back in the bottle.

"See, now look. It's empty. You drank too much before heading off to oblivion. Always were a greedy bastard Red...and don't give me any of that lip that you were saving for your kids mate. You couldn't even remember their names, some father." Staring morosely from the body to the bottle an idea dawned on him. Tossing the bottle up in the air, he brought one of his wings around in a slashing motion.

With a thunk, the two halves of the bottle landed in the sand. He nodded to himself, glancing first from his wings then to the neatly bisected bottle. "Maybe that wasn't so bad a side-effect after all. See Red, I'm thinking positive. Just like you said, think positive! Of course see where it got you...dead mate. Not too much positive about that." The corpse remained silent, now cold and stiff in the tropical night.

Slowly, half the bottle in each hand, the slim man began to dig on the landward side of the rock. The stars were glittering in the sky and the glowing mass of the planet took up half the horizon by the time he was finished. Hauling himself out of the grave, he took off his bandanna, wiped his sweaty brow, and refastened it. Walking over to the corpse of his friend he began to drag it toward the grave.

"C'mon Red...in ya go." With a heave he tossed the big man's body into the grave and frowned. "Seems I dug it a mite too short, you don't mind do ya Red? I didn't think so." With that he jumped skyward a bit and, pounding his wings, forced the sand back into the grave, the air currents smoothing it flat.

Landing with a slight stumble the slim man surveyed his handiwork. "Not bad...not bad...I'll do one last thing for ye Red, ya being my mate and all." Flexing his fingers he glanced at the sliver nails on the tip. They were filthy and ragged but he figured they'd do the job. Squinting he held a thumb up to the rock, tongue to the side just like he'd seen those fancy artists do.

Then he set to it, carving into the dark stone with nothing but fingernails...of course they were steel now too. Just like his hair, just like his wings. "Oh yes Red...I'm seeing definite possibilities...and you said this was a bad thing..."

Finally, he stepped back, nodding to himself. "Here lies Red Savage, Born Who Cares When, Died When They Finally Caught Up With Him, May He Rest With His Feet Toward the Stars...pretty good huh Red?" There was no answer save the crash of the waves.

Stifling a yawn, the slim man staggered to the edge of the waves again, this time taking flight. This was a definite plus, flight that is. No other Arcex had it except him...pretty good trade all and all. He landed gracelessly on the deck of his ship, glancing around to make sure none of the crew had witnessed his moment of dis-composure.

Satisfied that he was the only one on deck, he waltzed up to the helm, flicked an imaginary speck of dust off, and gazed toward the heavens. "Well my darling, it seems we've ourselves a dying wish to fulfill. I suppose I'd best dump the crew where they're least likely to cause trouble and go find those...offspring...of Red's. Shouldn't be hard as long as they've got the Keys on them." Looking at all the stars, the slim man shook his head. "Then again...where do we begin?"

Whistling softly as the ship hauled her anchor, he turned her into the wind, watching as her silver solar sails caught the wind. "Just like a treasure hunt...only there's nothing of value to find at the end." A slow smile twisted his lips as the hull of the ship lifted clear of the water. "Or is there? I've still go my debt to pay...perhaps Red has left me some coin to aid that venture?"

Slowly the ships engines engaged, providing a powerful kick that launched the ship out of the grip of the moon's gravity and out into the stars. Her black hull gleamed with dark intent, her sails strained to their fullest. And at the top of her mast, the Colors snapped proudly proclaiming her for what she was to all the worlds.

Pirate...

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I tried, really I did, to resist posting this one. But I failed. Still, I hope you enjoyed this and, before you ask, no the slim man's not entirely crazy...you'll see...

[Mephistopheles]

I can't see why you didn't want to post this. It is different. So far, I think that it can make an interesting story. Good luck with it.

[Kalanna Rai]

Maybe because I've got more than six other SG's I'm working on Meph... :D

[The Meaning Of Fear]

Hmm, read this when you PM'd me it. Just dropped in to say the pic was kool.

[dinranwen]

*shakes head at Rai* Sometimes Rai...I wonder if your human but then again, *shakes head and sighs* Your not exactly human anyway.....

I wonder where you find the time sometimes, but then I remember "Duh, this is Rai, we're talking about here...."

I would be jealous if only if I can find the time. *sits down and waits for the next chapter*

[Mother Goose]

Kalanna Rai wrote: watching as her silver solar sails caught.............. Slowly the ships engines engaged, providing a powerful kick that launched the ship out of the grip of the moon's gravity and out into the stars.
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Here's the part in the story that indicates space.

An intriguing beginning! But Rai, please don't get me into any more stories or my RL will come to a complete halt, my house will fall down and my family will starve and it will all be your fault!

By the way, Dinranwen knows how to spell tongue.

[Kalanna Rai]

Don't worry MG! This idea is my last for a while. Indeed it's taking so much of my brain power I've got minimal left for my other projects!

Just kidding... :lol: but I really have the bug to work on this one so you might see a first chapter going up in a couple of days...

[dinranwen]

Mother Goose said Quote: By the way, Dinranwen knows how to spell tongue.

:shock: What?!? I'm confused.

[Mother Goose]

Dinny, I was impressed by your last post in Rai's "Traveler's Songs". There were very few errors. You even had tongue right. (Not to mention its content - I thought I knew mythology but I didn't know that!). Sorry, :off:.