Cutter

Ben's timing for inducting me into the Merits couldn't have been better it turned out. Just two months later, with the rival navies finally being convinced that the issue of Sombra's followers had been quashed, they, being in such close proximity at the strait north of Trottingham, had kicked off hostilities in glorious fashion. The Night of Cannons as the battle became known rocked the Griffish Isles for a full day and night before the opposing sides withdrew. Whether or not either side had suffered casualties was uncertain, but that no longer mattered.

The war between Equestria and Griffinstone, or the War of the Isles, as I understand it became known, for it was certainly a conflict started over the Griffish Isles, had begun in earnest.

With careful coordination and communication between myself and the other Merits, Naysow's pirate enterprise was able to scry out the movements of whole fleets of merchant vessels, a safety precaution for both sides due to their navies being tied up waging war up and down the Celestial Sea. But regardless of how intense the fighting was, cargo had to flow, whether it be from Equestria's southern ports to her northern, or ships rolling down from Griffinstone to her ports along the eastern shore and beyond. The Stampede River actually became a favorite haunt of mine during the early stages of the war, since the griffins used it to safely reach their colonies further east, near Ho Chi Mane and northern Abyssinia.

When word spread that James Cutter was lurking there they found themselves stuck between facing me or taking the route south, past Colombuck, and straight into Catarina's welcoming arms. Suffice it to say she and I both wound up profiting from their trouble.

But more important than the fortune I'd earned over twenty-six months was the experience I'd gained. I could guess how an engagement between two ships was going to go at a glance based on more than just who had who outgunned. So many little things now stuck out to me as potential game-changers, like how low in the water one ship was sitting, the speed of its rigging crew, or even the freshness of its paint.

And on one particular day, I decided to make special use of that foresight.

"Ooh, they're closing in," I mused as the pony brig continued to gain ground on the fleeing griffin sloop. And who could blame them for running? The griffins had less than half the guns of their opponents, and that ship was clearly built for speed.

"Mm, little to the left," Orange hummed in my lap as she leaned into my hand.

"But I wonder," I said, adjusting how I was idly scratching her ear, drawing a happy pur from her. I leaned forward to get a better view through my spyglass, forcing her to squash her head down against my leg which was hooked over the branch we were sitting in. Rather than complain, she rolled over, forcing my hand onto her neck where she held it with a hoof hooked around my wrist.

"Why aren't the griffins flying to the topsails?" I added after observing how slowly the griffin ship's crew was operating. A smirk worked its way onto my features since I already knew the answer.

And the ponies were about to learn it themselves.

I stowed my spyglass and jostled Orange. "We gotta move, Sweetheart. Lemme up," I demanded.

"Mm mm," she argued, hooking both her forehooves around my hand and reclining harder. I sighed and tightened the glove on my other hand with my teeth.

"Guess you're coming with us," I mused before grabbing the rope beside our perch. Carefully unfolding my legs and scooping her against my chest, I rappelled down the tree at an uneven place. Once I hit the ground, I took off toward the inner shore of the Lost Lagoon, where the Quicksilver and her crew were waiting. A few cries rang out as they spotted me and the crew scrambled to get us moving. We'd hidden near the entrance of the Lagoon so we could quickly spring out and assault whoever dared roll by today, and thanks to the extra crew we'd gained throughout the war, by the time I was on deck we were set to launch our trap.

At this juncture in my career, it felt less like we were a roving band of thieves and more like a floating paramilitary company of sixty-eight sailors. To simplify things, I'd organized the crew into smaller teams each led by a sergeant who reported to Gab. In the end, everyone had a vote and no one had absolute authority over anyone else, but during an engagement, the team hierarchy was ironclad. Powder Monkey was still head of the firing division but was now aided by Hepert, an out-of-work Abyssinian artillery expert Catarina had introduced me to.

Zamaradi was no longer set to defend against boarders alone and now had a crew of fifteen other marines to help. These were mainly diamond dogs, but a few rough and tumble earth ponies had begged her to be part of the direct combat division. The minotaur we'd recruited two weeks ago preferred helping Pepper prepare the ship's meals over fighting.

Holiday had a team of three nurses drawn from the kirin population, and our musical crew had been rounded out with a piano-playing Abyssinian named Haze, Juniper Sparkle, a harmonica-playing unicorn, and Gilligan, a guitar-playing griffin who'd been sentenced to three months of labor in Abyssinia for mocking the royal family before we fell upon his prison transport.

"Cap'n!" Binky, one of our diamond dogs and a stout, portly specimen at that, cried as I sprinted up the gangplank. "What'd you spy for us?"

"Is it a ship?" Dinky, his nephew, and tall, lean inverse. The two followed me to the quarter deck, with Dinky tightly gripping his boarding pike.

"What else would it be?" Binky grumbled, jabbing his nephew in the ribs. The younger dog paused with a thoughtful frown.

"A big pelican?" He finally offered, earning an eye roll from his uncle.

"And why would we be rolling out just on account of a pelican?" He snorted, fixing his nephew with a critical glare. As the ship began pulling out of the lagoon, I drew my spyglass with one hand, ignoring the pair and Orange as she cuddled against my chest, still clinging to my arm.

"So we can all see it?" Dinky finally replied after a lengthy and thoughtful silence. Binky moved to argue before pausing and holding his chin.

"Is it a pelican, Cap'n?" He asked as they both turned to me.

"Griffin ship," I retorted, peering through my glass once we were clear of the trees.

"Aw," Dinky murmured, hanging his head.

"Close enough," Binky hummed with a shrug, patting his visibly disappointed nephew on the back as the skinny dog wiped his nose with his wrist. As I expected, the griffins suddenly scrambled and hastily fixed their sails to turn their ship. The ponies were coming straight at them and chances were high they wouldn't have time to course correct.

"When that sloop comes about, they're going to reel the Equestrians in and board," I called to the crew, gesturing to the ships in the distance. "How unfortunate for them that this will leave their stern pointed right our way!" The crew, especially Zama and her team all cheered in response. I leaned on the quarterdecks forward rail at Rosepetal.

"Get our bowsprit against them and let's board these birds while they're engaged!" I ordered. We raced along the waves toward the pair of ships and just as predicted, the griffins came about and hooked the ponies, locking the two ships together. We could not only plunder the griffins, but we'd also rescue a distressed pony ship in one go. Smirking, I looked up at Early. "They're stuck! Set our colors, Mr. Riser!"

"Aye, aye!" He yelled back before setting our flag into the breeze. Our flag, not Ben's. Blood Orange craned her head to get a look at it.

"First time I've seen your flag in the breeze, Cutter," she hummed. "Is it supposed to look like that face on the moon?"

"Correct. Now Ben can't complain about how many griffins we attack," I replied, looking up at the flag with a smirk. She gasped and turned back to me.

"I thought that was a rumor! Was he actually telling you off?" She cried.

"Not in any serious terms, but yeah," I said with a snort and a wry smile. "Kept reminding me that moderation was key with the griffins." I met her eyes with a toothy grin.

"But, seeing as the issue was his flag was being reported with all the attacks," I added, nodding my head at the flag. "Flying my own settled the issue just fine." She considered me for a moment before giving me a smug leer and nuzzling me again. Adjusting my arm to better cradle her, I returned my attention to the situation at hand. An occasional glimpse through my glass revealed that the griffins were too preoccupied with their counter-attack on the pony ship to notice us right away, allowing us to slip right up and align ourselves with their stern.

"Mr. Gabber, deliver our demands," I commanded, at which he galloped to the bow and bellowed into the speaking trumpet.

"You're outnumbered today, Griffinstone! Give up!" He yelled. The griffins and ponies all lurched at his sudden shout, and then, upon noticing us, gave two very different responses to our approach. The ponies redoubled their effort to repel their boarders, while the griffin captain flew to the stern rail.

"Make me!" He screamed loud enough for us to hear without a trumpet.

"You're the boss!" Gab shouted back before turning to the rest of us. "You heard him!" Zamaradi and the rest of the fighting team shared a nod before speeding to the bow.

"Need both hands, Sweetheart," I said to Orange, who pouted before going limp and slowly drooping out of my grip. Now that my arms were free, I drew and began prepping my gun.

"Brace for bolts!" Gab yelled just before a few thunks popped in the air. Glancing up, I saw a few metal bolts stuck in our forecastle. In response, a few of our dogs leveled their own crossbows on the larboard rail and shot back. At the same time, the attacking griffins were visibly panicking which only egged on the ponies more, and by the time we were in range for their bolts to reach past the forecastle, the griffins had been pushed back onto their own ship. The entire time, the captain stood at the rear rail, wings extended and feathers all frayed with a furious snarl fixed on his face.

"Brace for impact! Thirty meters!" Gab yelled as the crew scrambled to the forecastle as a shield against the bolts. Zamaradi and her team had hurried inside the forecastle itself, ready to stampede up the bowsprit the second we made contact. I cocked the hammer of my gun and slung it over my shoulder as Gab shouted again. "Twenty meters!"
I popped in my earplugs and fixed the captain with a smirk as he began visibly heaving with fury.

"Ten meters!" Gab yelled. The captain let out a feral, eagle-like screech and then leaped from the rail, flying straight at me. He sailed about halfway down the length of our ship before I'd swept my gun around and blasted him. His spiraling carcass hitting the deck signaled our collision, and after waving the smoke from my gun away, I could see Zama and her team darting up the bowsprit and over the rail aboard the enemy ship.

As was standard, the second her hooves hit the deck, she became a whirlwind, sweeping her legs out and knocking aside cutlasses, pikes, and even whole griffins. Our boarders hurled themselves aboard after her, dropping grappling hooks onto the rail before shooting bolts, lunging with pikes, or sweeping their cutlasses as they washed across the enemy quarterdeck like a bloody tide. Turning, I watched as the ponies managed a similar phenomenon from the sloop's larboard, and now the griffins were being stuck between our combined forces.

That coupled with the sudden and grisly end of their captain all proved too much for the remaining sailors, who fell to the deck with their talons up. Thirty minutes after bolting from the lagoon the ship was ours and as was tradition, the griffins were rounded up in a corner while my crew unloaded their cargo.

A slight break from tradition was the pony captain, Mayflower, currently standing at the wayside with me while his crew tended to their wounded and dead from both sides. As the canvas-wrapped body of the captain was lowered into the sea, Mayflower looked up at me.

"I'm not sure what to make of you, Captain Cutter," he said, drawing my attention to him. "One day you're the scourge of Griffinstone and helping us like you just did." His expression hardened.

"The next you're hassling our ships for protection fees," he added, earning a smirk from me as I folded my arms and leaned against the rail behind us.

"Ah, thanks for reminding me," I mused, pointing a finger at him. "We need to discuss compensation for us putting our lives at risk for you." He recoiled before throwing his head to the side with an annoyed grunt. Chortling quietly, I looked back to the ship and our captives, wondering what I could press the little guy for. At that moment, the ship's features struck me and I began pacing the starboard rail, looking over it and at the bow.

As I'd seen from a distance, the hull was plated, providing armor and speed, which was the first sign to me that something was up when the pony brig was able to catch up to them. There was a brass eagle figurehead, which revealed that the sleek design of the armor was meant to provide the image of a regal griffin. It had few guns, but that could be easily remedied. I raised an eyebrow as I looked over the rest of the ship, including the sails which were a royal purple with a golden rose embroidered upon them. Gab noticed my observations and trotted over to fix me with a curious leer.

"This is a beauty of a ship," I mused once we'd circled back to the pony captain. I gestured to our prisoners who shared a nervous look at my praise. "Captain Mayflower, are you willing to transport these gentle birds to your superiors?" He blinked and his ears perked up.

"You're asking if I'm willing to take them prisoner? Of course," he replied, shooting them a glare for a moment before blanching and looking at me with apprehension. "Why?" I laughed and clapped my hands with a bow, sweeping my arm toward the griffins.

"Well, be my guest!" I declared, before standing up straight with my hands on my hips. "And I'll be taking this ship." An angry hiss rose up from one of the griffins, while Mayflower recoiled.

"You wanting to switch ships, Captain?" Gab asked, tilting his head.

"Nope," I replied, offering him a knowing smile, to his visible bewilderment.

"Then what-" He paused and then recoiled. "Oh no. I ain't doin' it! I ain't takin' that kinda responsibility!" I flinched before snorting and scanning the crew.

"Fair enough. Zama!" I called out, catching her attention. I swept a hand at the deck. "You think you could captain this thing on my behalf?" She recoiled and blinked in surprise, while her team shared a look and began cheering.

"You hijacking thug! This ship was dubbed by His Excellency!" One of the griffins yelled, spoiling the moment and earning a sideways glare from me. "When he hears that you've turned her pirate, there'll be hell to pay!" I turned to him fully with a smile.

"If His Excellency wasn't prepared to lose it, he should have kept it moored, ah hah," I strode over to the prisoners, causing most of them to wilt beside the one shouting. He glared hard at me as I leaned in close. "He does know these are pirate waters, aye?"

"Here's to Captain Zam!" Gab yelled, hoisting a mug in the air and drawing an echoing cheer from the entire company, but especially from the portion Zamaradi had selected to crew her new ship. I raised my own glass before turning to see Zamaradi at the far end of the inn's patio, a meager, almost embarrassed smile plastered on her face as crewmates and sailors from other companies around Naysow came up and hugged her or offered her gifts. Among her visitors, I spied Amethyst who whispered something to her and then gave her a purple silken sash before trotting away from the party. She was left alone shortly after that, so I made my way to her table, where her smile brightened and gave me a nod.

"Captain," she said before tilting her head in thought. "Well, I reckon it's Commodore now that you've started your own fleet."

I furrowed my brow with a smirk as I took a seat beside her. "Is two ships really a fleet?"

"Is for most cutthroats," she chimed, reaching over and gently jabbing my arm. "Commodore Throat-Cutter." I snorted at her words.

"I still don't get that nickname. I've never even gotten in a sword fight," I retorted, reclining in my seat.

"Sure, but most folks don't know that," she said with a wink. "That's part of why scuffles like the one we had today are so rare. Most birds are too rattled are the rumor of you, y'know." Before we could continue the innkeeper trotted up and set a full mug in front of Zamaradi with a bright smile. Zama considered the mug for a few moments.

"Something on your mind, Captain?" I asked, causing her ear to swivel my way. After another moment her smile widened and she considered the whole crew gathered nearby.

"Ever since leaving Farasi as a filly, I have never truly felt at home," she finally replied with a hearty sigh. "Everywhere I went, from Saddle Arabia to Equestria, from Griffinland to Abyssinia, I have always drawn." She paused and her smile wavered for a moment.

"Stares," she eventually added, drawing a thoughtful and sympathetic hum from me. She perked up after another second and turned to me. "I think this is the first time I've found myself in company, Commodore Cutter, not just the presence of others." I gave her a nod with a smile of my own as she raised her mug.

"As such, I think we'll call her the Company," she declared, leaning back and bringing her drink to her snout. "How's that?"

"Sounds fine," I replied, raising my own drink to her. Before I could take a sip, however, a flapping noise drew my attention upward, where one of the bat ponies who kept watch through the jungle was hovering.

"Captain Cutter!" He called with no small amount of urgency.

"Aye?" I called back, setting my drink down and rising to my feet. The festivities carried on around us as the bat pony landed and fixed me with a severe expression.

"Get to the square! The other Merits are gathering!" He urged, clenching his teeth. "We've spotted a bird o' war anchoring outside the Lost Lagoon! They've dropped long boats and are rowing ashore." Zamaradi caught her breath at his words.

"The hell's a bird o' war?" I demanded, patting Zama on the shoulder before making my way to the meeting.

"Big warship," the bat pony reported, trotting along beside me. "Real big. One hundred twenty guns by our count." I blanched and nearly tripped as we stepped off the patio, but found no words to convey the shock his report brought me. Instead, once I was steady I raced to the square where I already saw Ben and the others gathered with severe faces. Junior noticed me approaching and pointed me out, at which Ben turned and paced up to me.

"Cutter, let's move," he demanded, nodding his head toward the edge of town.

"We sailing out there?" I asked as we all gathered and walked in unison. He balked and shook his head.

"Hell no! We're taking the chariots!" He huffed, gesturing to a group of metal chariots being pulled up by several teams of ponies. He nodded his head back at Junior. "We are at least. Junior's gotta walk. Nectar said they're sitting with their stern to us, so I don't think they're here to fight." I furrowed my brow and shared a nervous look with Catarina.

We had a rough and uneasy ride over nearly half an hour and found ourselves atop a low hill, with plenty of trees and brush between us and the six longboats we could now see on the beach. The griffins had almost all disembarked and were lined up in six groups. The ones who remained on the longboats were now at the small swivel guns hooked onto the bows and were scanning the treeline with determined glares.

Standing at the center of the whole arrangement, with three groups on either side, was an older griffin in a blue officer's uniform that was positively painted with little glittering medals. At his side were a bespectacled griffin whispering to him and a fierce old bird who was as scar-covered as the officer was medal-covered. This third fellow had a pair of long, narrow swords under his wings and scanned the treeline with an even, predatory light in his eyes.

Suddenly, the officer nodded to one of the groups, and a white flag on a pike was raised in the air. Ben hummed at the sight while the rest of us shared a look. The commander strode ahead of the other groups and began speaking to them, making gestures to the jungle and the company that held the white flag up.

"Sst," Ben suddenly hissed. Turning, I saw Nectar suddenly pop up from behind a tree. Ben whispered to him and then jabbed a claw at the griffins. Nectar nodded before trotting out into the open as Ben nodded at the rest of us. "Let's see what they want." We watched intently as the griffins suddenly jolted at the sight of Nectar. The commander whirled around and balked before nodding at his two companions. The three carefully approached Nectar and began speaking with him.

Nectar tilted his head and looked over the whole gathering before slowly nodding and flying back into the jungle, first away from us, and then once he was hidden in the trees he raced back to us.

"He wants to talk," he reported, stretching his wings with a huff as he caught his breath. "Just talk, he says." A shocked silence fell over the group as we all shared a look. Glancing back out at the commander, I saw him motion to the gunners on the longboats, who turned the guns away from the tree line and stepped back. After a minute or two of silent deliberation, Ben sighed and strode out alone. Grimacing, I followed alone which got the ball rolling for everyone else as well.

The commander beamed at the sight of us and once again moved up to meet us. "Good afternoon, Captains. I am Admiral Gasparde of His Excellency's Royal Navy," he greeted with a bow.

"Afternoon, Admiral. What business brings you to this shore?" Ben replied, folding his arms and rocking on his paws. Utterly undaunted by the sight of any of us, Gasparde waved a claw.

"Nothing official, I assure you," he replied, gesturing to his company and then the warship in the distance. Even so far away, the sight of it sent a chill up my back. "The HES Crowned Eagle and I were en route to Mount Aris to treat with the hippogriff queen when I elected to make this stop." Gasparde turned back to us with a bright smile.

"So don't worry, this isn't a declaration of war nor an ultimatum," he paused and looked at us each individually. "But Sirs and Madams, I have to ask, would you consider entirely redirecting your efforts during the course of this war?" Ben tilted his head back at his question while Catarina and I shared a look. She smirked and brought a claw to her hip.

"Redirecting?" She mused. "What, we causing you too much of a headache?"

"Not me personally, though my heart grieves for those you've fallen upon," Gasparde retorted before waving a claw with a furrowed brow. "No, rather I like to envision a future in which the admiralty of Naysow is considered a trusted asset of Griffinstone rather than an unstable and untrustworthy nest of villainy." Dreadless folded his arms while Junior hummed and took a seat behind the rest of us, to the visible distress of the griffin company. All except Gasparde, that is.

"So again, I ask, would you consider directing your efforts solely against Equestria? At least until the war is over," he pressed, bringing his claw to his chin. "If I understand His Excellency, once the Equestrians have withdrawn from the Griffish Isles and Manehattan has ceded into our control, that will be when we sue for peace."

"Ah, and what happens to us then, I wonder?" I demanded, folding my arms and fixing him with a sideways glare. He paused at my words before giving me a smile.

"Have you considered Abyssinia as a coast to ply your trade?" He asked before winking and rolling his claw out at me. "Or, if you're willing to tolerate the notion of a civil life, your efforts on our behalf would surely be rewarded." He tilted his head at me.

"James Cutter, yes?" He urged, earning a nod from me. "Have you considered the profits involved in land ownership? Acreage is a common reward for military success, after all."

"I'm not working solely for profit," I shot back, drawing a brighter smile from him.

"Ah, a fellow with a purpose?" He declared with a firm nod. "I expected no less from one of the Merits I've heard so much about."

"Enough pleasant words. What will you do if we refuse?" Dreadless suddenly spat. "Will you sail that thing into our harbor?" Gasparde recoiled before laughing.

"That? Oh no! It can handle those shallows," he chuckled, waving his claw. "And again, I must reiterate, I'm not here officially." He paused and furrowed his brow.

"I'm here because, well," he grimaced and then sighed before fixing us with an earnest frown. "Isn't it better if we all get along?" I recoiled at his words, which seemed to surprise the others as well. Gasparde clenched his claw and brought it to the medals on his coat.

"War is an unfortunate reality, but I have spent my career seeking the quickest resolutions to it when I am faced with it," he kept his gaze down for a moment before huffing and fixing us with a determined look. "With such experience, I am sorry to say that when this war concludes, if you are the only hostile parties still troubling these waters." He hesitated as he looked over us all.

"Well, I will be seeking the quickest resolution to you as well, and I think that would be a waste," he said with a severely somber tone. Before I could consider that however, he perked up and thrust a claw at Ben. "And consider your friend Commodore Burigold! He certainly profited from finding a happy middle ground with His Excellency!" The others groaned at his words.

"Yes, yes, he reminds us of such often," Amethyst grumbled, drawing a humph from Ben, who kept his eyes on the admiral.

"Well then perhaps you don't need me to drill the point home?" Gasparde quipped with a nod. "I hope you will give my words consideration and I will leave you in peace."

Rather than risk drawing aggression from the warship or risking getting shot by the swivel guns, we returned to the grounds around Naysow's fort to discuss the admiral's words. As it turned out, discussions quickly turned to arguing, as I wasn't the only one who chose to take his talk as a threat.

Junior and Amethyst sat off to the side as Dreadless paced the training field we'd occupied and Catarina stood with her claws knit behind her head and her back to Ben and I.

"If he comes back and isn't in such a charitable mood, what do you suppose would happen?" Ben cried, shaking his claw in the general direction of the shore. "Because I reckon he could just line that ship's cannons with the Lagoon and obliterate any ship that tries to sail out. Let alone any that try to line up and return fire."

I pivoted on my heel to face him and jabbed a hand at our harbor. "What if we line all of our ships up out there ahead of time? Every last company. We could-"

"Trust the average, profit-minded scoundrel of Naysow to hold the line against a proper warship?" He snorted with his eyebrows raised before leaning forward with a bitter smile. "Very amusing, Captain Cutter." I sighed hard and leaned on my knees.

"How about a fortress? Like that one?" Dreadless suddenly asked, drawing our attention to him and then to the fort he was pointing at. Ben barked a laugh.

"Ah, another capital idea!" He turned to Dreadless and fixed him with a smile. "How long do you reckon it would take you to complete such a construction?" As Dreadless frowned, Ben jabbed his claw at the fort.

"Because that thing was here when I arrived," he added in a low tone before pausing and tilting his head up in thought. "Fairly certain it's a relic of the hippogriff colony that used to sit here before the pigs moved in." Dreadless turned away with a humph, as I considered the fort. I slowly narrowed my eyes as for some reason, the sight of the fort's walls and the cannons installed up and down it reminded me of the admiral's ship.

"How many other birds o' war do you reckon are out there?" I asked, drawing Ben's attention.

"Like his? Only a few. They use them as the flagships for big military actions, or as diplomatic vessels," he replied, throwing his paw up.

"Where do they keep them?" I pressed. He tilted his head back in thought for a moment.

"Port Grover, up the Grover River north of Griffinstone," he finally replied before narrowing his eyes. "Why?"

"What if we stole one?" I asked, earning a hard exhale from Ben.

"You are just full of bright ideas today, aren't you?" He chirped before stepping closer and leveling his paws at me. "Even supposing we pulled that off, and I'm feeling whimsical so I'll entertain that notion, we'd need a crew of hundreds to keep it working." He leaned in and pinched his claws for emphasis.

"One company. Hundreds," he hissed before pulling back with a sigh and shaking his head. "There ain't a prize we could take nor loot that would provide enough gold to satisfy that many all at once."

"I didn't say we'd keep it running," I argued, turning to him. "We steal it, sail it down here, and run it aground." He looked at me, recoiled again, and slowly rolled his head as his face rapidly swam through just about every shade of emotion known to man or dog, before fixing me with an incredulous leer. I stood up straight and held my hands out to him.

"We beach it with one side pointed out, then move all the guns to that side," I gestured to the fortress wall and its guns. "Then we reinforce that side with plate, timber from the opposite side of the ship, maybe break its masts down and prop them against it." He looked up at the wall in tandem with the others and furrowed his brow with a quiet hum.

"Bolster it however you think best," I added, nodding at the rest. "Then we have our fortress."

"Hey, that ain't half bad," Catarina chirped, turning to us with a smile. "If two or three of us worked together, that'd be enough bodies to get it rolling this way, too." Junior brought a hand to his chin.

"And if I helped I think they'd give up the whole ship once I climbed aboard," he declared with a bright smile. Dreadless and Amethyst both nodded in consideration and we all turned to Ben. Without looking back he sighed quietly.

"Oy," he groaned, rubbing his forehead and giving us a weak smile. "Shall we vote?"