The Ebony Celeste

[Sly]

[I'm going to take a couple liberties with your post here, namely which way Tech’s boat is going. Let me know if you have any problems with this interpretation.]

Sly glanced at the radar, a bit worriedly. That other boat was speeding up, and it looked like it was heading towards them too. Was it a Coast Guard boat? He spoke over his radio to the F4 grunts out on deck, on their channel only so nobody else could listen in. “Get the rocket launchers ready. We may have company soon. If it looks like they’re trying to board, blow them out of the water.”

And so, the weapons were removed from the cabinets again, leaving them on the deck for the moment where they’d be out of sight to anyone not on the ship (the handrailing blocked the view). The F4 grunts waited expectantly, as they watched the lights of Tech’s ship fast approaching them.

In the meantime, Sly hailed Tech’s ship. “Attention, incoming unknown vessel, this is the Ebony Celeste…the oil tanker right in front of you. You are fast approaching us and may collide if you do not change your course. Repeat, change your course or you may hit us.”

If they didn’t give a reply and kept speeing on towards them, Sly would give the signal to fire. He had the upper hand with the hostages, so he figured he’d make the first strike if it came to that.

[Tech Rathgen]

[The boat was supposed to be heading to glacier, but I guess I'll do it this way.]

The boat stopped and scooted back where it was. This time it facing the other boat from the side where Tech can be seen in the far end of the ship.

The boat replied to the other boat that called them on a private line. "There was a slight miscalculation with one of the movie productions, sir. Speed 3 was the reason our boat was headed in your direction. Yeah, they've decided to stop. There's another movie production going on with the very plain Tech Rathgen, ah she's so plain. She's working on 'Those Blue Eyes' and it should be in theaters soon - soon as in about a few years. All they're doing is going to finish filming and then we're going back to shore."

***

Tech watched as the boat came to a halt. She sighed. "Thank god. Hope they don't ever try to make another speed film ever again."

The director listened in on the conversation going on with the other boat. "This is way too much" he thought.

The director finished his worry and prepared himself to continue with the film.

Tech got ready for the next half of the scene.

The director cued action.

Tech cried. "Honey bear, can you ever love me?"

The male actor brushed his hand across her cheek and smiled. "You're beautiful. You're so beautiful. You want a bite to eat?"

Tech's stomach growled. "Sure, we can do that."

Tech and the male actor went to a fancy resturant on the middle of the ship. The director and crew followed.

[Qesun Vendak]

QJ had been headed back to his room when his ears perked up at a sound. It sounded like... A boat engine pouring on the power. He popped back onto the deck to see what was up, just in time to catch sight of the ship Tech was in slowing down a fair distance away. Now things seemed to be getting interesting again. Another ship had showed up. ...And the crew of the nearby Supertanker was pulling stuff out of lockers as quickly as they had shoved them in a before he'd went back in. He had to admit, he couldn't help feel something was up. He watched for now.


-----


<< This is an all ships bulletin from the GUN Coast Guard Division. Please be advised that piracy activities have taken place in the area of the Ibanki Archipelago. They have taken control control of the Supertanker Ebony Celeste and are currently holding it hostage for randsom. If you are in the Ibanki, please be on the look out for further pirate activities that may put your crews at danger, or find another route to your destination. If you have seen the Ebony Celeste or know her location, please contact the Coast Guard with the location ASAP and get out of the area as quickly and safely as possible. Please, do--- >>

The crewman's mouth simply fell agap as she listened to the report and figured out what was happening. The captain noticed both this and Regina's pale skin color, even with the fur in the way. "Regina, what's wrong, what's the radio saying."

"It's... A bulletin from the Coast Guard... It's about the Ebony Celeste. Apparently it's actually manned by pirates now, and they've made demands for the safe return of the ship. But... We're right here. What if they come after us, sir," She stated.

The Captain's own heart accelerated some at the realization but he kept calm. "Ok, what else did the message say?"

"To report the position of the Celeste and to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"Good, relay the position of the Celeste."

"And?"

"And I'm thinking..."

[Sly]

The Ebony Celeste itself received the bulletin too. It was on. Although the other two ships hadn't left yet. Sly intended to squash any heroic thoughts they had right away. So, he hit the radio and sent out a general broadcast to both Tech's and Qesun's ships.

"All right...I'm sure you two heard that. I was hoping you'd be gone before GUN spilled the beans, but we're not so lucky, apparently. Let me just say that if you leave right now, we will not attack you. All we wish for is a peaceful transaction with the ship's owner.

"But if you think about getting close, I have men up on deck with rocket launchers and assault rifles right now..." And with that, the grunts in disguise pulled up their weapons and divided up their attention between both Tech's ship and Qesun's ship. Sly put on a small smirk. "Well...I'm sure you know the rest. Like I said, you will be left alone if you leave now, and so will our hostages. Think about it."

[Tech Rathgen]

Tech went to her dressing room and changed into her dress that the director wanted her to wear. It was a blue sparkling dress that she loved to be in, but she also felt a little uncomfortable about wearing it as well because it revealed more than what she wanted. Her body was easier to see instead of covered like she'd like and plus she doesn't even really know who the male actor is, so it'll be hard on her part to kiss and dance with him like the script tells her to do.

Tech noticed the clock was reaching four or maybe five am and she was getting tired of all of this acting. She may have been tired, but she wanted to continue acting so she wouldn't upset the director. She started to doze off as she walked...not really looking where she was going...and then she tripped and fell overboard, asleep.

[Qesun Vendak]

It was a few moments of quiet, but that was all the Captain needed to come to a decision. "Regina. You have the bridge. Keep the ship on course for now. When you think it's safely out of the way, stop it and wait for us."

"Wait for you?" The crewman repeated, having a new reason to turn a pale color.

"Yes, wait for us," He stated as he got up. "Also, radio privately around the ship. Ask for volunteers for a boarding party. I'll meet them on the deck opposite of the side of the Celeste. Tell any who have personal arms to collect them up. If they don't want to fight but have arms, see if you can convince them to lend them to someone willing." He made his way into his office nearby and began digging around in it.

"R-Roger sir. ...Are you seriously thinking about doing this?"

"I've given the order, have I not?" He stated as he came out of the office again with a revolver. A large caliber weapon, some sort of .45. "Try not to let it leak to any of our passengers the situation or what their captain is about to do. If we don't radio you back in a few hours or you think the pirates are after you, get out of here."

At this point, she just nodded and began making the calls around the ship.

-----

Qesun's left ear perked up as he heard a static crackle of a radio start up. Looking over, he spotted a deckhand and his radio, he had pulled it off his belt and began listening to it. QJ stood where he was and simply listened from there. Soon enough the answers of what the heck was going on came to be. The ship off in the distance was taken by pirates, and this bunch was actually planning to do something. He would probably call them idiots if it weren't for the fact he'd probably try something given the chance himself. A cocky corner of QJ's mind caused him to smirk as it so confidently told himself that they'd probably need him if they wanted a chance to succeed at this half arsed rescue mission.

He had the information he needed from eaves dropping, though, and dropped back bellow deck as the deckhand finished the conversation. There was something of his own that he needed from his room if he wanted to try and include himself in this operation. He quickly made his way down the hall and popped into his room. Immediately, he pulled down one case from his luggage, a large brown hard case, and dropped it on his bed. He quickly pulled out his holsters from the closet and slipped them on before popping open the case. Within it lay his two weapons, Legge and Giustizia, the 'Scales of Justice' as he called them. Pulling them and their blades out of the case, he loaded a clip into each before shifting them into their holsters. Then he grabbed all his extra clips and found pockets for them before heading out to where he overheard the meeting would take place.

He got out there and joined the small crowd, just finding a spot to slip in there and wait until the Captain showed up, a Lion who seemed rather determined about this. The Lion spoke up and began briefing his people, and inadvertently, QJ. "Alright, I didn't give many details on the radio, but the gist of it is this: That ship off the other side of the ship is the Ebony Celeste. Some band of Pirates thinks it's a grand idea to start preying on these shipping lanes here, so we're going to show them otherwise. We're going to drop off in some of the Life Boats on this side and see if we can slide in and take them by surprise. Don't show them any kindness and don't wait up on them. The faster they're down, the better off everyone is. Now lets get going. You bunch, get one of the boats ready to drop."

In total, there were a dozen people there, not including QJ. Probably enough to fit on just one life boat. As the others moved to ready the boat, the others readies their weapons, a hodgepodge gathering of pistols, shotguns, and even one assault rifle. Qesun was left obviously out of place at this point, and it didn't take long for the Captain to notice. "I don't think you're part of my crew."

"That's because I'm not, but I overheard this mess you're tossing yourselves into, so I figured I'd try to see to it that more then a few of you make it back here," Qesun Jr. responded with a little smirk showing up.

"You really don't need to get yourself in anymore danger then we already are."

"You have about as much a choice as I do, and I've made my choice. Clearly, I came armed and prepared. Would you really decline another good gun at your side in this?"

The captain was quiet for a moment at this fact. "Right. Fine, you can come with, but I do expect you to listen to me. Lets get on the boat."

"Right," Qesun said. 'Unless it's stupid and likely to get me killed. More so then attacking pirates, anyway,' he thought as he hopped into the boat himself along with all the others. It was lowered slowly into the water, and the bunch of them began to make their way through the night towards the Celeste.

[Sly]

"Looks like the other ships are going on their way," the radar man said, looking up at Sly.

"But they're leaving behind something..." Sly was looking out the window at one of the two boats. Looked like there was a big hubbub on deck, and a bunch of people milling around a life boat. "We will have company. I see them getting into a life boat. Trouble is, it'll be next to impossible to see them once they're out on the water, and our radar won't help much in picking them up either."

Sly glanced at the hostages in a room behind the bridge. A half smile went up his face, before he went in there and dragged out the captain, all tied up. The captain's eyes went wide, obviously knowing what might be in store for him soon. Sly gestured to one of the other F4 grunts to hand him a pistol, and quickly received one.

Once that was done, he issued an order to all F4 grunts on the ship. "Let me know if you see any evidence of intruders. Your first priority after staying alive is alerting us to them. Understood? And be careful walking near the railings. It's dark out tonight and I know you're gonna have trouble seeing anything small on the water. They're sending a landing party, we know that."

Then he turned to some other grunts who were milling around. "I want you to go to the ship's security station. Monitor what's happening in the cameras. Let me know if anybody's hanging around that shouldn't be." They nodded and ran off.

Sly then received a radio call from the bomb-planting party. "All explosive set sir...your detonator should be working just fine." Sly nodded.

And then he turned to a third set of grunts. "Last thing...have two lifeboats ready for us to leave at any time. We may need to make a quick escape, especially if it turns out we'll need to detonate the tanker." They nodded and ran off.

Lastly, Sly faced the captain. "And you...does this ship have any flood lights?"

[Tech Rathgen]

Tech, while she was asleep, floated to the Ebony Celeste.

As she was on her way there, she felt very cold and a little drafty. Granted, she had panties on, but it didn't stop her body from getting soaked. The blue sparkling dress she had on didn't help matters either. The dress was wet as well and it wasn't the best thing to have on, because dresses don't really have that much durability for water this temperature.

What was worse to Tech, other than being asleep and being dragged into a boat, was the fact that this sparkling blue dress really pronounced her body in ways she loved, but also wasn't exactly sure she liked that much. She loved the dress, because it really brought out the texture of her blue eyes and it was normally both exciting to her and anyone that saw her in that dress. She knew the dress looked so good on her that sometimes she was worried that someone might pull a fast one.

Every curve of her body could be seen in that dress and that was the reason she felt uncomfortable to be in it, but the way it made her look and feel on the inside and out made the benefits soar. Everytime she'd see herself in that sparkling blue dress, her heart would race, butterflies would be in her stomach, and she'd blush uncontrollably - and because she has white fur, her blush pretty much appears throughout her entire body.

She felt immense love for herself in that dress, it was her only way to not feel sad about her seemingly wondrous life. She had it all, a family, a bunch of friends - although she was never able to see some friends - but she also had kind of a dark little secret she never really tells anyone. She doesn't like herself all that much, but when she's around anyone it seems like she's happy-go-lucky. The dress she has on right now always gave her a love, or maybe a lust, for herself.

The only other time she had this dress on was when she actually went on a date with someone. She felt uncomfortable at first, but she opened up to him. She kissed him and danced and laid her head on his chest to hear his heart beat. It was the best moment of her life, until they went to a bedroom and he tried to pull a fast one. She had a hard time trying to push him away, but she managed. She simply said, "I'm not ready to be a mother."

She didn't regret saying that either, but she wished he wanted to be friends, but he in turn said, "I don't wanna see you again."

It hurt her feelings, but it didn't destroy the feeling she got when she was in that dress she was in while floating toward the Ebony Celeste, asleep.

[Qesun Vendak]

The boat glided across the water quietly. The oarsman was careful not to disturb the water much with the oars as he pushed their boat along. Everyone was left to their somber thoughts in that darkness, including QJ. In his particular case, to his memory, he'd never been in real combat. The closest would have been running from Radical City when it was attacked, and there wasn't much fighting in running away. On another side, he'd fought people before. On a mat under his father's tutelage, one on one close quarters combat. But even with those two experiences to relate to, he knew he couldn't really fathom what the actual combat he was going to be getting himself into would really be like. In the back of his mind, that worried him. If not for being confident in his abilities, he'd probably had listened to that before doing this.

They had arced about some, so not to come from exact the direction of the Azure Wake, towards the rear of the tanker. As the plan stood, they'd nearly drift up silently and got for the nearest access to the deck. Now they just needed to deal with that last stretch.

[Sly]

Suddenly, a series of flashes ignited across the Celeste's sides. Looked like Sly had found the lights he was after. Beams of light started to pierce the darkness all around the ship, seeking out the lifeboat they knew was coming. The F4 grunts up on deck huddled near the lights, so the bright beams would make it harder to look directly at them.

---

One of the men manning the light saw something blue and sparkly down in the water, .on the side that the other two ships had been. The moonlight was reflecting off of whatever he saw. Anyway, he focused his beam on it...and spotted Tech. So, the F4 grunt radioed in. "Sir...I've spotted a young white fox in the water wearing a blue dress. She doesn't look drowned or anything... No idea where she came from."

Sly pondered what to make of that. Could it be a trap? "Scan the area around where she is first. Then once she's on board, search her for mikes or hidden weapons or whatever."

"Roger." After a few minutes of scanning the dark, they didn't see any trace of the lifeboat. One of the grunts went down on a safety harness, and as Tech drifted to the side of the boat, he grabbed her and signaled for the other F4 grunt to drag him back up.

After searching her, one of them dragged her up to the bridge. Sly was dazzled by how beautiful she was. The blue dress and the white fur made for a mesmerizing combination. He checked for a heartbeat. Definitely alive...but asleep? How did she manage to stay asleep drifting through the cold water like that? Must be an incredibly deep sleeper. Anyway, while the thought of enjoying her was tempting, he didn't want it to distract him for now. "Just tie her up and put her with the other hostages. Lay her out on a bench or something though..." The grunts did as requested.