piratejournal | [Voice]

[It's been a day or so since the battle and the Doctor has had time to calm down and get his head together. Everyone is relatively alright, sure, and the Navy fortress has been reduced to a smoldering heap by Ace, Ikki, and his own inventions. But he's got a few thoughts about all of this, and as usual he's not terribly good at the whole staying quiet thing.]

Right, so, I've got a bit of a question. Aside from the whole...stereotypical law thing...does anyone know exactly why the Navy of this world is out to get us? Most of us aren't really out to overthrow governments, steal things, and plunder ships.

'Course, that doesn't seem to matter much, does it? No, not really. And it sort of makes one wonder what sort of nonsense assumptions they're working under. At least, it does me.

Anyway. Guess that's a moot point for me. [His voice gets a bit colder.] Magnets, it seems, are a wonderful tool for causing all kinds of mayhem with their forts. So, I guess if any of you listening to this are Navy types, I'd appreciate it if you'd not give me cause to come up with something new. Next time I won't be so forgiving.

[And it softens again as his warning is delivered.]

Oh, right. And also if anyone knows where I can find a few well polished bits of quartz, well...I need them for a bit of a project.

[And with that random barrage of information, the Doctor closes the book, apparently already distracted by something else.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Immediate execution declarations aside, yes. Torture, attempted violation of young females, mutilation, and any number of other unforgivable acts. I'd say that this Navy is hardly worthy of the name.

More like a gang of thugs with authority than any real peacekeeping body.

Execution is the standard procedure with pirates.

[The rest was not typical, at least not in his circles. ]

It is unfortunate your crew met with such a unit. I wonder if what happened with your group is standing procedure or merely one Commander's idea of the best way to deal with pirates.

[He does suspect the latter. ]

Do you know the name of the fort's Commander?

Yes, though usually one had to actively engage in some measure of piracy to be convicted of it. I'd hardly say sailing on a ship counts as piracy given that it was lawfully purchased and has undergone no such nautical thievery.

[So. Frustrating.]

And no, no I do not. He's likely dead or disgraced, though, so I doubt we'll be seeing him again.

None of us fly a flag of a local country. In that we are all pirates. We have no charter that allows us to sail a ship so we are all breaking the local laws. We may own the ships but we have no right to sail them.

[It was complex but this was the easiest way to describe the situation. The Navy wasn't wrong in enforcing local law, being cruel about it however... ]

Did all of those in the fort perish by your actions then?

That's idiotic. Stupid bureaucrats.

[And that's all he has to say on that subject.]

Ah...no. I destroyed the buildings themselves. I offered plenty of warning to the entire population of the base well before then. Gave them a chance to return the crew. They did not, so I gave them warning enough to evacuate. Whether they took the opportunity or not I don't know.

Though, I believe a few died fighting my captain and another crewman, but then...I can't exactly be expected to take the blame for them.

It is a standard law where I am from. Few find it stupid, though I will admit its application here has been heavy handed and far from preventing piracy their actions have served only to cause it.

[As the Doctor had said, the Navy could have tried diplomacy when people first arrived. It might have saved a great deal of trouble for everyone. ]

You will have to tell me just how you managed to make a magnet strong enough to inflict the kind of damage you are talking about.

Again, foolishness.

[He smiles at the question even if the other man can't see it.]

Electromagnetism and polarity shifting. I'll assume you're unfamiliar, but with the right tools...like a sonic screwdriver...it's not all that hard to supercharge a magnet to grab all the metal in a fort and pull it in.

[Entirely unfamiliar. The Doctor might as well have said 'magic'. ]

A sonic screwdriver? Is that something you managed to build here or a tool from home?

Something from home, actually. Came with me in my coat pocket.

How fortunate it did. It sounds a most destructive weapon...

It's not a weapon. Can't be used for hurting people. Only making things.

And destroying forts which, unless they took your warning, might have resulted in deaths.

No, that would be the magnets, no the screwdriver.

The magnets you...

[He paused to add a tone to this word simply because he did not understand the meaning of it. ]

...supercharged with the sonic screwdriver. Or so you said earlier. It should have been impossible to make the magnets behave in that way without that tool from home?

Ah. No, it just would've taken longer. Easy enough to do, but the screwdriver is an expedient, nothing more.

You must be from a very advanced age to even know how to accomplish these feats.

Ah...well, as to that? No. I'm not from any real age, I'm a time traveler. And from an entirely different planet than I'm guessing you are. Though, Gallifrey probably doesn't mean much to you.

[Haytham catches himself before pronouncing that unthinkable. Weren't they all time travelers now in a way? Most had been brought from times far different than this one. ]

A more advanced civilization then.

Right, exactly.

[There's a hmming from the Doctor as he considers.]

What time are you from sir? And may I ask your name?

Haytham Kenway. The year was 1755, I've no idea what it may be now.

[The last bit was added as almost an after thought. ]

From Earth.

Well, nice to meet you then, Mr. Kenway.

I'd thought you might be from Earth. American colonist? Or British?

[And here he thought the accent marked him. ]

I was raised in London but I had not too long ago moved to the Colonies. You are familiar with Earth history?

[Well, time periods being what they are.]

I am. Quite familiar, actually. You're from a rather tumultuous time, if I do say so.

Oh? Why do you say that?

[Its got his curiosity ping. ]

Well, war, of course. Loads of change. Rumblings from colonists. Not to mention all the trade, exploration, and learning going on at the time.

[Voice]

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