I must read thsi story again, since what i am reading makes no sence, I have forgotten...
Who am I?
Who am I?
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Zuckergußgebäck said:
In body, or in controlling consciousness? :wacko:
Keep up the good work, CP!
The Dutch merchant vessel sent flag signals while approaching the flagship, and the went aboard receiving full royal honors. Salutes were being fired and the admiral, Michiel de Ruyter, welcomed them.
In his cabin the admiral offered them a drink, and asked for their orders.
James inquired as to the situation. It turned out that the last remaining English stronghold was London, though probably a number of trade posts in the west were still unknown. London has been under continuous attack and can fall any moment. To confirm this, a junior officer knocked and entered.
“Apologies for entering, admiral, but the Scottish flag has just been raised over the capitol, admiral, thought you’d like to know.”
“That s great news, my boy”. de Ruyter answered. “you were right to report it right away.”
“A small ship with the Scottish flag is coming our way, Sire. They signal the commanding Scottish general is aboard.”
“Bring them in as he arrives.”
“I may congratulate you on your victory, sir. “ James said.
“And congratulations to both of you.” The admiral replied.
“Thank you. Great as this news is, I have a question, admiral.” James replied. “Do you have any news of the English queen?”
de Ruyter replied: “It is strange that you ask, sir. May I know why this is so important to you?”
James wondered how the admiral dared to ask such a question. It was close to impertinence, over the edge, actually. Questions by Kings were answered, not questioned. But Amalia seemed less shocked.
“Let me assure you, that the question is of the utmost importance, my dear admiral.”
De Ruyter rose from the chair on which he had been sitting.
“For three long days, I have held up a French frigate. We blocked all ships, with the exception of a few Amsterdam merchants who cannot resist the temptation to trade with our enemies. The reason I held up the French frigate was that one of the officers thought he had seen a glimpse of the queen of England aboard. But the French ambassador was aboard, and he posed an ultimatum declaring that France would declare war when we didn’t let it go within three hours. They sailed away a half an hour ago. Understand, the officer may have been mistaken.”
“Thank you, de Ruyter, may I request the service of the fastest sailing vessel from your fleet?”
“You have it.”
The officer opened the door again, and showed in general Leslie, commanding general of the Scottish forces. He had obviously been briefed by the Dutch naval officers, for he showed no surprise seeing his King.
“My king, may I offer you the crown of England” he simply replied.
“Congratulations on your victory, Leslie. You performed well during my absence. I have decided to annex England. There will be liberty of religion for Roman Catholic, protestant or reformed alike, according to the Dutch model. But as for that crown of England you spoke of, I would like to see it here as soon as possible.”
“It will be done, your majesty. I will leave with for the shore right away.”
“Wait” de Ruyter ordered to send flag signals to the shore. Within ten minutes the answer arrived: The crown jewels no longer were in their case in the Tower.
“She left with the crown jewels. Let’s chase her, to the end of the earth, if that’s what we need to do!”
In his cabin the admiral offered them a drink, and asked for their orders.
James inquired as to the situation. It turned out that the last remaining English stronghold was London, though probably a number of trade posts in the west were still unknown. London has been under continuous attack and can fall any moment. To confirm this, a junior officer knocked and entered.
“Apologies for entering, admiral, but the Scottish flag has just been raised over the capitol, admiral, thought you’d like to know.”
“That s great news, my boy”. de Ruyter answered. “you were right to report it right away.”
“A small ship with the Scottish flag is coming our way, Sire. They signal the commanding Scottish general is aboard.”
“Bring them in as he arrives.”
“I may congratulate you on your victory, sir. “ James said.
“And congratulations to both of you.” The admiral replied.
“Thank you. Great as this news is, I have a question, admiral.” James replied. “Do you have any news of the English queen?”
de Ruyter replied: “It is strange that you ask, sir. May I know why this is so important to you?”
James wondered how the admiral dared to ask such a question. It was close to impertinence, over the edge, actually. Questions by Kings were answered, not questioned. But Amalia seemed less shocked.
“Let me assure you, that the question is of the utmost importance, my dear admiral.”
De Ruyter rose from the chair on which he had been sitting.
“For three long days, I have held up a French frigate. We blocked all ships, with the exception of a few Amsterdam merchants who cannot resist the temptation to trade with our enemies. The reason I held up the French frigate was that one of the officers thought he had seen a glimpse of the queen of England aboard. But the French ambassador was aboard, and he posed an ultimatum declaring that France would declare war when we didn’t let it go within three hours. They sailed away a half an hour ago. Understand, the officer may have been mistaken.”
“Thank you, de Ruyter, may I request the service of the fastest sailing vessel from your fleet?”
“You have it.”
The officer opened the door again, and showed in general Leslie, commanding general of the Scottish forces. He had obviously been briefed by the Dutch naval officers, for he showed no surprise seeing his King.
“My king, may I offer you the crown of England” he simply replied.
“Congratulations on your victory, Leslie. You performed well during my absence. I have decided to annex England. There will be liberty of religion for Roman Catholic, protestant or reformed alike, according to the Dutch model. But as for that crown of England you spoke of, I would like to see it here as soon as possible.”
“It will be done, your majesty. I will leave with for the shore right away.”
“Wait” de Ruyter ordered to send flag signals to the shore. Within ten minutes the answer arrived: The crown jewels no longer were in their case in the Tower.
“She left with the crown jewels. Let’s chase her, to the end of the earth, if that’s what we need to do!”
Zuckergußgebäck said:
I could try to write up a one page summary of the story ....
would you like that?
Nah, I shall try to read it again some day when I am finished with two other AARs I am reading....
The “pinas” as the Dutch called it, turned out to be a small ship, but the captain assured them that with the present wind they would overtake the French frigate. And he proved right. At four o’clock in the afternoon, the French frigate was spotted.
“And what now? “ James wondered. Their ship was obviously too weak to attack the French frigate.
The captain asked him and Amalia for orders. James hesitated.
“Can we sail on – ignoring her?” he asked.
“Certainly.” The captain replied. “You mean even ignoring her signals?”
“If that provokes her, yes.”
The captain looked at the sky.
“The days are short. It will be dusk by the time we catch up with her. And we wont be very far from France either, she seems to be heading for Normandy.”
James remained silent.
”The relation with France is already stressed, very stressed.” The captain continued. “If we pass them ignoring their signals, their captain might get nervous and order us to stop.”
“Excellent. I hope he’ll do just that.”
“And what now? “ James wondered. Their ship was obviously too weak to attack the French frigate.
The captain asked him and Amalia for orders. James hesitated.
“Can we sail on – ignoring her?” he asked.
“Certainly.” The captain replied. “You mean even ignoring her signals?”
“If that provokes her, yes.”
The captain looked at the sky.
“The days are short. It will be dusk by the time we catch up with her. And we wont be very far from France either, she seems to be heading for Normandy.”
James remained silent.
”The relation with France is already stressed, very stressed.” The captain continued. “If we pass them ignoring their signals, their captain might get nervous and order us to stop.”
“Excellent. I hope he’ll do just that.”
CitizenPaul said:
"Ah," said the first mate, "a brilliant move, sire. If we can't force her to stop and be boarded, we'll trick them into doing it for us!"
-Pat
pjcrowe said:"Ah," said the first mate, "a brilliant move, sire. If we can't force her to stop and be boarded, we'll trick them into doing it for us!"
-Pat
Exactly!
You are sure a dedicated AAR writer CP One can neglect to check the EU 1 AARS for awhile but one will always be sure of that CP will continue his work
One can neglect to check the EU 1 AARS for awhile but one will always be sure of that CP will continue his work
Yoghurt said:You are sure a dedicated AAR writer CP
well, I'm slowly working towards the end :wacko:
Betsy noticed the two men, both holding a gun in their hands, too far of to get into action safely. No-one else was in this corridor. She raised her hands, and asked:
“Who are you and what do want?”
“I ask the questions, girl.”
“What do we do with them, boss? Throw them into the river? Tie them up in one of the storehouses?”
“Let’s first get out of this corridors. Someone could surprise us any moment. Get into that door.”
They passed out of the corridor into a dimly lit hall with softly humming engines.
”We must keep them out of business a few more weeks.” It was the man who had spoken first. As he seemed to accept the other man as the leader, Betsy concluded that the other man would have to be Jack. But she cold not come up with a way to profit from this knowledge. On the contrary, if she would reveal her knowledge, the men would be the more eager to let her disappear.
The man she assumed to be Jack said to his friend:
“Tie that robot up against that machine over there. And as for you girl, we are gonna send you back to history. In your bathtub you won’t be able to reveal who we are, and I’ll set the clock at a minimum time of three months. Don’t try to return before the end of three months – it would cause permanent brain damage.“
Betsy watched as Daneel was chained at the end of the hall to a machine. Jack had called him a robot. Was that really true? She watched Daneel – he looked very human to her. Did he give her a wink with his eye?
All the while she looked for a chance to get into action, but in vain. Jack kept her covered with his gun, while the other man chained Daneel.
The two man now escorted her to her cabin. To her disappointment, no one was present in the big hall of the school. She realized it was evening by now, school as closed except for the bare minimum of techs. Once in her cabin, she was ordered to undress. She turned her back on the men, and stripped of her clothes. She stepped into the bath and noticed Jack turn some buttons.
“OK girl, remember what I said, don’t return during the first three months. Just be a good girl and take your lessons.”
She still felt the irony, or perhaps sarcasm, in the words as her mind raced back into the past.
“Who are you and what do want?”
“I ask the questions, girl.”
“What do we do with them, boss? Throw them into the river? Tie them up in one of the storehouses?”
“Let’s first get out of this corridors. Someone could surprise us any moment. Get into that door.”
They passed out of the corridor into a dimly lit hall with softly humming engines.
”We must keep them out of business a few more weeks.” It was the man who had spoken first. As he seemed to accept the other man as the leader, Betsy concluded that the other man would have to be Jack. But she cold not come up with a way to profit from this knowledge. On the contrary, if she would reveal her knowledge, the men would be the more eager to let her disappear.
The man she assumed to be Jack said to his friend:
“Tie that robot up against that machine over there. And as for you girl, we are gonna send you back to history. In your bathtub you won’t be able to reveal who we are, and I’ll set the clock at a minimum time of three months. Don’t try to return before the end of three months – it would cause permanent brain damage.“
Betsy watched as Daneel was chained at the end of the hall to a machine. Jack had called him a robot. Was that really true? She watched Daneel – he looked very human to her. Did he give her a wink with his eye?
All the while she looked for a chance to get into action, but in vain. Jack kept her covered with his gun, while the other man chained Daneel.
The two man now escorted her to her cabin. To her disappointment, no one was present in the big hall of the school. She realized it was evening by now, school as closed except for the bare minimum of techs. Once in her cabin, she was ordered to undress. She turned her back on the men, and stripped of her clothes. She stepped into the bath and noticed Jack turn some buttons.
“OK girl, remember what I said, don’t return during the first three months. Just be a good girl and take your lessons.”
She still felt the irony, or perhaps sarcasm, in the words as her mind raced back into the past.
“Admiral Kwin Chun Joe, with 7 ships from planet Banbaileys planet, at your service, mr. President. I await your orders.”
Betsies father looked at the screen.
“Thank you for coming, admiral. Your presence and assistance is greatly appreciated. Will you please join our fleet 1 light minute from our planet? The Sayshellian fleet is also converging on this position. The Auroran fleet is approaching our planet slowly, and seems to be getting assistance from Solaria. I expect more help from the new worlds, but the fifty old spacer planets might also send more ships.
We still have not located the Auroran representative, Mr. Olivaw, and with enough ships Aurora might hesitate to execute a full scale attack on our planet.“
“I will join your fleet at one light minute from your planet.”
Betsies father looked at the screen.
“Thank you for coming, admiral. Your presence and assistance is greatly appreciated. Will you please join our fleet 1 light minute from our planet? The Sayshellian fleet is also converging on this position. The Auroran fleet is approaching our planet slowly, and seems to be getting assistance from Solaria. I expect more help from the new worlds, but the fifty old spacer planets might also send more ships.
We still have not located the Auroran representative, Mr. Olivaw, and with enough ships Aurora might hesitate to execute a full scale attack on our planet.“
“I will join your fleet at one light minute from your planet.”
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two years, and still barely hanging on
good job, and well done for the persistence
good job, and well done for the persistence
Cheryl watched the French captain as he studied the Dutch ship.
“I don’t like it, monsieur.” He addressed the French ambassador.
“Why not, captain?”
“This is what the Dutch call a ‘pinas’, a ship which can transport cargo, but not as much as an East India man, carries some guns, but not as much as a man of war, and can sail pretty fast. It is slightly faster than we are, at least with this wind, and seems to be heading for France just as we are. It is avoiding us, but with the present wind it can not round that cape before we catch up.”
“That still doesn’t explain what you don’t like about it.”
The French captain thought for a while.
“If it had been just carrying cargo, it would have avoided us. But it wanted to run straight ahead of us, ignoring us, and that’s strange. Could it be on an urgent mission?”
“There are Scottish and Dutch harbors on both sides of the channel. It could call on warships there to assemble for an attack on us. Or it could carry depeches for the Dutch fleet in the Channel, if there is any.”
The two men remained silent for a while. The two ships ran on, on near parallel courses.
The French ambassador asked:
“I know it could mean war, but I find it suspicious enough to board that ship. But avoid giving them a casus belli if you can.”
The captain pointed at the coast:
“It looks like a deserted piece of coast. Firing at the ship could mean war. And you can bet that if we get into a fight, someone on the coast has seen it and knows we started it.”
“As ambassador, no one will dare to doubt my words. And you will back me up. ”
The French captain ordered a warning shot. It fell short, but the second shot splashed before the bow of the Dutch ship. The Dutch ship sailed on. A third shot hit its hull. The Dutch ship stroke its sails. The captain ordered a lieutenant to take a sloop and search the Dutch ship.
Cheryl had seen enough. She went to her cabin. When she got on board, she had ordered the crown jewels to be stored in her cabin.
Now she took them, and put the crown on the table. She bolted the door, so no-one could surprise her. She would preferred to have waited a few more weeks, to gain time for Jack to improve upon his installations, but she was running out of time.
One last moment she hesitated as she sat down. Jack had made it very plane that he needed more time. Should she concentrate on the crown, and attempt to take it with her, back to her own time? Was there an urgent need to do so? The captain didn’t trust the Dutch ship, and his suspicions had infected her.
“I don’t like it, monsieur.” He addressed the French ambassador.
“Why not, captain?”
“This is what the Dutch call a ‘pinas’, a ship which can transport cargo, but not as much as an East India man, carries some guns, but not as much as a man of war, and can sail pretty fast. It is slightly faster than we are, at least with this wind, and seems to be heading for France just as we are. It is avoiding us, but with the present wind it can not round that cape before we catch up.”
“That still doesn’t explain what you don’t like about it.”
The French captain thought for a while.
“If it had been just carrying cargo, it would have avoided us. But it wanted to run straight ahead of us, ignoring us, and that’s strange. Could it be on an urgent mission?”
“There are Scottish and Dutch harbors on both sides of the channel. It could call on warships there to assemble for an attack on us. Or it could carry depeches for the Dutch fleet in the Channel, if there is any.”
The two men remained silent for a while. The two ships ran on, on near parallel courses.
The French ambassador asked:
“I know it could mean war, but I find it suspicious enough to board that ship. But avoid giving them a casus belli if you can.”
The captain pointed at the coast:
“It looks like a deserted piece of coast. Firing at the ship could mean war. And you can bet that if we get into a fight, someone on the coast has seen it and knows we started it.”
“As ambassador, no one will dare to doubt my words. And you will back me up. ”
The French captain ordered a warning shot. It fell short, but the second shot splashed before the bow of the Dutch ship. The Dutch ship sailed on. A third shot hit its hull. The Dutch ship stroke its sails. The captain ordered a lieutenant to take a sloop and search the Dutch ship.
Cheryl had seen enough. She went to her cabin. When she got on board, she had ordered the crown jewels to be stored in her cabin.
Now she took them, and put the crown on the table. She bolted the door, so no-one could surprise her. She would preferred to have waited a few more weeks, to gain time for Jack to improve upon his installations, but she was running out of time.
One last moment she hesitated as she sat down. Jack had made it very plane that he needed more time. Should she concentrate on the crown, and attempt to take it with her, back to her own time? Was there an urgent need to do so? The captain didn’t trust the Dutch ship, and his suspicions had infected her.
It was dusk as the French sloop with about 10 men slowly approached the Dutch ship. James, with his face painted black, waited silently. He alone seemed to be on deck. Three sturdy sailors waited below, out of sight from the French ship. Suddenly Amalia came up to him, whispering: “Can I help? What’s your plan?”
Angrily he hissed:
“Get down – we’re gonna take that ship.”
Amalia disappeared out of sight.
“Women” James fumed, angrily cursing their impractical actions.
The French sloop hailed and James replied in French. He had learned enough French at court to answer a simple call, and more than that.
The French lieutenant climbed up the rope, and James welcomed him aboard. Behind the lieutenant a Dutch sailor rose, and knocked him down in one blow with a wooden spike. The French sailors, one by one, followed the fate of their lieutenant.
James let a few minutes pass by. The French sailors, either unconscious or dead, were carried below. Then he ordered a carefully selected crew of volunteers to follow him into the French sloop. Silently they rowed back to the frigate. James looked up at the frigate. Its crew probably totaled 200 men. It was madness to assail such a ship with only 10 men. Only by sheer surprise they would be able to overwhelm her. And even with surprise their victory would depend on luck. Surprise ought to be possible – the frigate would expect their own crew back.
He hailed the frigate in his best French, got a reply and climbed up the rope ladder. His men followed him close on his heels.
Angrily he hissed:
“Get down – we’re gonna take that ship.”
Amalia disappeared out of sight.
“Women” James fumed, angrily cursing their impractical actions.
The French sloop hailed and James replied in French. He had learned enough French at court to answer a simple call, and more than that.
The French lieutenant climbed up the rope, and James welcomed him aboard. Behind the lieutenant a Dutch sailor rose, and knocked him down in one blow with a wooden spike. The French sailors, one by one, followed the fate of their lieutenant.
James let a few minutes pass by. The French sailors, either unconscious or dead, were carried below. Then he ordered a carefully selected crew of volunteers to follow him into the French sloop. Silently they rowed back to the frigate. James looked up at the frigate. Its crew probably totaled 200 men. It was madness to assail such a ship with only 10 men. Only by sheer surprise they would be able to overwhelm her. And even with surprise their victory would depend on luck. Surprise ought to be possible – the frigate would expect their own crew back.
He hailed the frigate in his best French, got a reply and climbed up the rope ladder. His men followed him close on his heels.
Sneaky sneaky... But still, 20 to 1 odds aren't that good. Unless they have received a shipment of AK47s from helpful timetravelers.
Unless they have received a shipment of AK47s from helpful timetravelers.
Morpheus506 said:Sneaky sneaky... But still, 20 to 1 odds aren't that good.
A couple of XM8's would even be better - can you ship them in time?
"We've got a job for 6 men, south of the border, watching over a village."CitizenPaul said:A couple of XM8's would even be better - can you ship them in time?
"How big's the opposition?"
"30 guns."
"Mister, I admire your sense of fair odds."
pjcrowe said:"We've got a job for 6 men, south of the border, watching over a village."
"How big's the opposition?"
"30 guns."
"Mister, I admire your sense of fair odds."
OK, I got the message - next time, 200 heroes in an epic battle defeat 5 enemies.