He sat in his command chair on the bridge of the massive battleship. He closed his eyes and listened as the crew informed him of the ship's status in various areas. once everything was good to go, he opened his eyes and called out.<br/><br/>"Launch FFF BB Class Bismarck"<br/><br/>Music started to play from the ship's speakers as the crew quickly got to work getting the ship away from the dock and out into the harbor. He watched the main screen before him as the massive ship began moving. He sighed sadly to himself as he thought about the girl who had just dumped him in the most public and humiliating way she could. He focused on his mission as the ship rocked slightly as it hit the first ocean swell and headed out to the open ocean.<br/><br/>(this is the songm<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ccYZTONpic&amp;list=FLXlWHJKHdim01GPHHhVYjkw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ccYZTON ... GPHHhVYjkw</a>m)<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The young princess sat quietly before her vanity, watching as the maids around her fussed over what she would wear and how they would do up her make-up for the ball being thrown in honor of a nearby prince. She was beautiful, with pure white skin, long raven hair and dazzling blue eyes; a perfect mix of her Scottish father and English mother. Brushing back a stray strand of hair, she let out a soft giggle to herself as she thought of what the night would bring. By the end of it all, she may have found herself a husband. If not, that was perfectly fine with her as well. After all, she was only 20 years old. She had many years to find herself a suitable king to help reign over the lands that would soon be hers. Still, the idea of possible meeting the man she was destined to be with excited the maiden, so she strived to look her best.<br/><br/>It took them nearly two hours to dress her properly and make her suitable for the ball, but it happened. Her long raven hair was done in curls that fell neatly around her shoulders, and her dress was the tightest, blue dress that they could find, showing off her figure and accenting her sapphire eyes. She walked slowly, the heels she wore causing her to stumble slightly as she made her way towards the grand staircase. Guests had already filed into the ballroom, and all that was left was the announcement of their beloved princess. Standing at the top of the staircase, she awaited the words that would send her gliding down the stairs, offering cheery smiles and waves to the guests who had shown up to see the princes and her possible husband to be.<br/><br/>"Announcing the arrival of Princess Anastasia Cameron!" Anastasia heard the guard below her yelling her name, so she silently descended the stairs, smiling warmly at her guests. If Anastasia was anything it was real; she didn't pretend to be someone she wasn't, and her people respected that. After a few waves, she made her way to the king's side with a grin. "Well, is my prince here yet, Father?" She asked delightedly, looking around.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"Indeed my daughter. He is over there by the banquet" Her father said pointing out the rotund male. Her father the king had arranged this ball to see how the prince would treat his daughter, and he wasn't happy with what he was seeing. The prince had danced with her once before going on to flirt and dance with every other lady and woman in the room, whether they were noble or servant, married or single, it didn't matter to him.<br/><br/>~~<br/><br/>As the ship moved out at full speed the young captain ordered for the chrono jump to be activated. The crew acknowledged his orders and began going through the check list for the chrono jump. Blue-white lightning flashed around the huge ship as it sailed towards a ball of the same color.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>A bright flash of blue-white light burst out over the ocean. But she was to only one to notice it through the window as everyone else was too busy enjoying the party.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The party had turned out horribly for Anastasia. The man who her father had set her up with hardly seemed interested, despite the fact that she was the one he was here to court. Angry, she moved to sit by the window, sighing as she watched the prince flirt and dance with every other female at the ball. Why did he have to do this to her? It was so humiliating...With a sigh, Ana looked out the window with wide eyes, surprised at the burst of light that was blue and white. It came down over the ocean and a startled gasp left her lips as she looked out the window. "What in the hell..." Frowning, she took a step back away from the window, dread settling into the pit of her stomach. What was that?<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The strange ship moved much much quicker than any ship in her father's fleet, yet there were no sails, oars, or even masts on it. As the massive ship pulled into the port they blew the horn warning a smaller boat out of the way. The deep reverberating sound reached all the way up to the castle but no one inside heard it except for the princess.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>Her body guards came up silently behind her, one surreptitiously holding her cloak.<br/><br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The loud horn caused the girl to cringe, but no one else heard it...How!? Scowling, she watched the ship approach, eyes widening every second. It had no sails...How did it move through the water? It was so much faster than any ship of her father's. It looked so foreign though; why didn't it sink? Was that metal? Frowning, she took a step back, and ran into someone. Turning, she opened her mouth, nearly letting out a shriek...<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>We thought you would want to go and see the vessel that is arriving?" One of the guards said. They had been her body guards for as long as she could remember and they knew her inside and out, thus knowing when she would try and sneak away.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The shriek didn't leave her lips; it dulled into a muffled squeal of surprise. As they asked about her wanting to see the vessel that had just arrived, Ana nodded eagerly. "Of course I do; let's go." The princess took her cloak and slipped into it, pulling the hood up to disguise herself. Silently, she slipped into the shadows and began making her way towards the shadows. It didn't take long for her to make it outside, not really caring if the guards did follow her. Once on the dock she looked up at the ship with a grin; this would be an adventure for sure.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Her body guards notice her leaving and quickly slip in behind her as she walked down to the dock. By the time they reached the dock the massive thing had reached the harbor and was pulling up to the biggest dock there was, the dock was still about 1000 feet too short. Men quickly got off the thing and caught thick heavy cables that others tossed from the thing. The men on the dock used the cables to attach the thing to the dock.<br/><br/>"Your Highness, those men seem to be navy sailors"<br/><br/>One of her guards said quietly to her as they hid in the shadows.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the ship was attached to the dock, she became eager to get closer. Navy sailors...They couldn't be too bad, right? Hurrying forward, she stood on the dock, facing the great vessel. Her raven hair blew behind her and she grinned widely up at the ship, ready to welcome their guests, even though they were unexpected. "Don't tell my father! I want to check these guys out for a moment or two before everyone gets excited."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Her guards stood ready to protect her. The young man walked out of the ship and then down the gangplank that had been set up. He was about her age and he strode down the gangplank to the dock, his boots thudding solidly against the wood. He stopped half way down the gangplank and looked around as if he knew that he was being watched. He looked directly at her and continued down the gangplank until he was on the dock and then he headed straight for her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana watched as a male her age came down the prank, the solid thudding of his boots the only sound. His eyes seemed to be directly on her, and she took a few steps forward, smiling widely at him as she raised her hand in greeting. "Hello there! Welcome to Cameron lands, sir. I'm princess Anastasia." Ana said in greeting, as she stood before the man with a shy smile. He was handsome and her age...Butterflies began to form in her stomach as she gazed up at him.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>He came to a stop before them and bowed to her. "Your highness. i am Captain Altair, of the FFFAF Navy. I have been sent here to offer an alliance, with your father, in the eradication of slavery in and around his kingdom" He said and then stood straight and looked at her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>An alliance? Eyes widening in surprise, her smile turned to one of delight. "Really? Well in that case, we accept. I accept your terms, whatever amount of gold it is you want I assume, on my father's behalf." Ana said, offering the male her hand before looking back towards the castle. Her father may be upset that she had done this, but honestly they needed all the help they could get. "Unless, of course, you'd rather talk to my father." only then did it occur to her that she was a female, and he may be more comfortable and find it more official to talk to her father.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>i would like to speak to your father"<br/><br/>he said as he bows to her and falls into step with her, the guards fall in behind them. suddenly two thugs jump out at them, the guards turned and struggled with those two. two more ran out from in front of them. Altair quickly pulled out his side arm and shot one of the men in front before tackling the second to the ground. the two from behind were dead on the ground and the one that Altair had shot was lying in a pool of his own blood. Altair looked up at the princess from where he was kneeling on the living thug's back.<br/><br/>"you OK your highness?"<br/><br/>he said evenly, not even breathing hard. showing how fit he was from his military training. where as the prince was rather round and not physically healthy. he didn't feel right calling her by her first name, well not right now perhaps if they got to know each other better then maybe<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Of course he wanted to speak to her father...No one ever felt comfortable talking to her about official matters. "Fine, lets be on with it." She said simply, walking briskly along with her guards and the foreign male. When the thugs jumped out at them, Anastasia let out a soft gasp, surprised as the male took them down immediately. Heart fluttering for a moment, she smiled as he asked if she was okay. "I'm fine...Lets go." She said softly, entering the doors of the castle. "Father!" She called, and the guests all became silent as she approached her father. "This man would like to have words with you, sir."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her, and then forced the thug up and forced him to begin walking as they continued up to the castle. when they got to the castle Altair handed the thug over to the castle guards and reported what happened. he then waited outside and asked that she inform her father about his arrival. however he began to get nervous with everyone looking at him and whispering at how strangely he was dressed. he was shown to the royal sitting room where he waited.<br/><br/>the king nodded and then got up and begged his guests to continue without him. he walked to the waiting room with his daughter and his wife. Altair stood up as they enter and got down on one knee in a respectful bow to the royal family.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As people began to whisper about the strange male she had brought in, Ana grew quiet. Making her way to her father's side she told him of what had happened and requested he speak with the newcomer. Naturally, he agreed to do it. So, they made their way into the waiting room. When he got on one knee, Ana became uncomfortable for a moment, but then she offered a courtesy towards the male and stood once more. "Sir, you may now state your purpose for being to my father. He's agreed to listen." Ana said softly, urging him to continue.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"please sit, my daughter. i wish for you to hear what he has to say"<br/><br/>her father said and then turned to Altair.<br/><br/>"go ahead stranger. tell us why you have come here"<br/><br/>he said. her mother gazed at the rather handsome young man and smiled kindly at him. Altair told her father what he had told her and told him that the army wished only for one thing in repayment for their help. all they wanted was to be allowed to build a base near the water for the Navy and one further inland for the land forces. her father thought about it and then spoke.<br/><br/>"i shall think about it tonight. for now you may have your crew come and rest within the castle."<br/><br/>"thank you your majesty, but i do not think that your fine castle, big as it is, has enough room for the 2,700 crew and officers that are on board my vessel"<br/><br/>Altair said. the number of people he said that was on his ship was 700 more people than what the prince's father had offered her father for her. and this was on only one ship Altair had said that he was there on behalf of the entire army. how many men did the entire army contain if one ship held 2,700 men?<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As her father requested she sit, Anastasia did so, listening intently as the male spoke to her father. The terms were acceptable enough as far as Ana was concerned. She was sure her father would accept the terms. If he didn't, it'd be the stupidest mistake of his life. That much she knew. As her father offered their castle to keep his men in, a giddiness arose in her chest. "Oh, that'd be delightful! I'd love to see your ship..." As he spoke of 2,700 men, her eyes widened in amazement. They wouldn't all fit..."We could double up as far as our rooms go, Father. Two to a room; we'd all fit."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"thank you, your majesties, i appreciate the invitation but i must decline. if we are to go through with this operation you will need all the supplies you can get. if i and my crew were to billet in your castle we would eat away at those supplies very quickly."<br/><br/>he said and bowed he then left and walked up to the buffet and selected a modest portion of fruit and then sat down at a table. many of the ladies and women moved closer to him, possibly hoping to try and get a dance with him but he would politely refuse and continue to slowly eat. her father watched him and leaned towards his daughter.<br/><br/>"i am seriously considering accepting his offer. what do you think of it my daughter?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As he declined, Ana shrugged simply before watching him walk off and sit, declining offers of dances. "I like him, father. I feel as if you should accept the offer. It'd be a wise decision. We won't survive long without them...And we can finally kick that rude prince out once and for all. I don't like him much." Ana said sourly, before standing and making her way back to the dance floor, allowing her father to make his decision.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>with a nod he offered his arm to her mother and then bid her a good night. As the king and queen left it signaled the end of the party mostly, there were very few people left including the prince, the captain, and her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana frowned as she realized that nearly everyone had left at this point. Scowling at the prince who was flirting once again, she made her way to the captain. "Sir? May I have this dance?" Ana asked, shyly. What if he refused? It'd be so humiliating, more than she could bear. Her eyes roamed to the prince who now watched the two with narrowed eyes, as if daring them to defy him and dance together. It made Ana want to so much more...<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>i can not refuse. but i must warn you... I'm terrible at dancing"<br/><br/>he said with a shy smile as he stood up and offered her his arm.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"That's fine. I know what I'm doing." Ana said softly, a giggle leaving her lips. Taking his arm, she followed him out onto the dance floor. Once there, she faced him with an encouraging smile. Stepping forward, she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his palm, before stepping close, probably closer than what was necessary. "And now, you lead."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he took her hand in his and placed his other hand on her lower back, a bit lower than was proper, and then began to dance with her. once the dance was done he bowed to her and then offered her his arm again.<br/><br/>"may i escort you to your chambers, your highness?"<br/><br/>he asked.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana was surprised at his boldness, and how far down his hand ventured. But she didn't mind. Dancing with him was amazing; like she was lost in her own little world. By the time it was over, she was wishing they had more time. But sadly they didn't, "Of course you may escort me to my chambers." She said softly, before turning her gaze to the prince. "Goodnight Prince. I'm sorry I wasn't able to chat much tonight. Perhaps we'll see you in the morning?" Ana asked, false politeness in her tone.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair turned and led her out of the ball room and then let her lead him to her chamber door. he took her hand lightly in his and bowed as he kissed the back of her hand.<br/><br/>"good night your highness. i hope to see you tomorrow when i come for your father's answer.<br/><br/>when she got into her chambers, her chamber maid brushed her hair and giggled as she asked if the captain was as handsome as the servants in the ball room said he was. and if he was truly built like a stone wall.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As his lips pressed against the back of her hand, Anastasia had to fight back the urge to squeal. It was like a dream..."Of course, sir. Until then." Anastasia said, offering a courtesy in reply. It was the polite thing to do, after all.<br/>When she entered her chambers, the maid immediately pounced on her, full of giggles. As the brush was pulled through her hair, Ana did gossip a little bit. "Oh, he was so handsome! And strong...it was truly amazing. And he danced with me. Me! Oh gosh, it was such a great night." Ana said, with a content sigh.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the maid giggled along with her mistress for a while, as they shared gossip, and finally tucked her into bed and bid her a goodnight.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>as Altair walks through the castle, on the way back to his ship, he notices the prince creeping along the corridors and decides to follow him<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As Ana lay tucked into bed, the prince was about, searching for her corridor. He had been humiliated! Everyone knew that the beautiful princess would soon belong to him. And that bitch had gone off and asked another to dance! He could tell the others were laughing at his expense! Snarling softly to himself he scurried along, unaware of anyone behind him. "I'll teach that damned princess to mess with me..."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the prince heads towards the princess's room. Altair continued to follow him. the prince entered her room and climbs over her and begins to attempt to rape her. Altair quickly tackles the prince off her before he could even get his pants off. the prince draws his sword and attacks the captain. Altair dodges the sword which slams into her dresser getting stuck there. Altair quickly moves behind the prince and puts him into a sleeper hold, knocking him out. once the prince was down and out Altair moves over to the bed and checks on the princess.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The commotion had awoken the princess, her eyes opening as the prince attempted to rape her. The fight between the two men was short, but it seemed to drag on forever at the same time. As the prince was knocked out, she lay silently in her bed, eyes wide and frightened. As the male looked over her, she let out a sudden sob, tears rolling down her face from fright. This was why she chose to not marry; you could never predict that actions of a man.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he gently took hold of her and held her gently to him as he rocked her back and forth to help calm her down.<br/><br/>"it's OK, he won't be hurting you while I'm here"<br/><br/>he said softly.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The words were reassuring for a moment or two, until she realized that he wouldn't be there for much longer. What if the prince came back? The thought scared her more than anything else. "What do we do with him? What if when you leave he comes back?" Still sobbing she clung to him, burying her face in his chest. The intimacy didn't bother her, or if it did she was too far past scared to even worry about it. "I'm too scared to sleep now. I cannot stay in here alone." Ana whispered, her voice laced with fright.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he gently pushed her back into her bed, and then covered her up so as not to see anything he shouldn't, before calling in the guards. he told them about how he had seen the prince acting strangely and had followed him to the princess's room and ended up stopping the prince from raping the princess. the guards hauled the prince away to his room where he would remain under guard. Altair bid the princess good night and then left to go to his ship.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As he pushed her back down, Ana closed her eyes tight and tried to sleep for the remainder of the night. But it was hard. She tossed and turned all night, and when she woke up she wasn't in a great mood. Ana silently made her way down the stairs and it was clear she was in a bad mood. Going outside, she made her way to the dock, sitting on it to put her feet over the edge and just relax for a moment or two.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair stood out on the deck of his ship, looking up at the castle. he smiled as he thought of the princess and then went inside to sleep. the next morning the ship's speakers began the reveille call to wake them up for a new day. the loud bugling reached up to the castle.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>a few minuets her guards come up to her and say<br/><br/>"your highness, come quickly, your father has summoned you to his breakfast table"<br/><br/>this being a rare occasion and usually meant something serious<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The fact that her father had summoned her meant business. And her horrible mood mixed with seriousness wouldn't go over very well for anyone. Nevertheless she made her way inside, a bit annoyed by her relaxation being interrupted. "What is it, Dad?" She demanded curiously, as she stood before him.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>her father came in shortly after she had arrived, his face worried.<br/><br/>"good morning daughter. it seams that one of our merchant ships was attacked by pirates during the night. i have sent for Captain Altair. i hope that he can help us. either way I'll be asking him for a demonstration of his vessel's fighting strength. I'll ask you to go on to his vessel to observe the demonstration and then report back to me whether you think that it would be better to accept his help or the help of our neighbor"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As her father explained, Anastasia sighed. Life was so difficult when you were royal; so many responsibilities. It was exhausting..."Fine. I'll do it. But if they happen to steal me away because I'm so beautiful, I blame you." Her tone had turned teasing now as she hurried up to her room and got dressed once again. Today she wore a simple black dress and her hair down, straight. Walking towards the vessel, she awaited to be allowed on board.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>her father stopped her and spoke.<br/><br/>"a carriage awaits you outside, however you should pack, for who knows how long it will take to hunt down these pirates"<br/><br/>he said and then held his arms open to her.<br/><br/>"be careful my dear"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Sighing, she made her way back to her room and packed quite a few things for At least a few weeks, if not more. As she came down she hugged her father, sighing softly. "Dad, I'll be fine." She said gently. She knew how to handle pirates; she had a weapon if need be. "Love you." She said, before leaving and getting into her carriage.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>a carriage is quickly prepared for her and soon she is riding down to the docks. many of the serfs had gathered to see this massive thing that was sitting in the harbor. they quickly made way for her carriage. it pulls up and stops before the gangplank that led to the ship's main deck. except that this was made of metal and it was stairs instead of the usual ramp. as the carriage pulled up to the gangplank the Captain stands at the base and opens the carriage door for her.<br/><br/>"Welcome your highness, to the FFF BB Class Bismarck"<br/><br/>he said as he held out his hand to help her from the carriage. her body guard handed her luggage over to one of the sailors who takes it up to the room that had been set aside for her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"Thank you for the welcoming. Nice ship." And it was. The large ship amazed her, and she slowly made her way onto it with a wide grin. "It's absolutely amazing up here!" She exclaimed, as she climbed the stairs that led her further up. "Where will I be staying?" She asked, suddenly uncomfortable with being alone with so many guys.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the ship--->m<a class="postlink" href="http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx131/martin03330/FFFBismarkSideScreen.jpg">http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx13 ... Screen.jpg</a>m<br/><br/>Captain Altair led her up the gangplank to the ship's deck. once they were on he led her through the ship to the captain's cabin.<br/><br/>"your guards will not be coming with us as there is no need for that, and you may have my room, your highness"<br/><br/>he said as he opened the door. inside was a 4-poster, canopy bed, a dresser and a small desk as well as an blue-grey foot locker at the end of the bed, with white lettering saying 'CPTN. Altair'<br/><br/>"please just leave your things and follow me. if we are to catch the pirates we need to move as quickly as we can. we have been informed that the pirates took most of the crew from the merchant ship as slaves and so we must hurry"<br/><br/>he said and held the door for her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Her guards wouldn't be going...A wide smile formed over Ana's face as she realized how dangerous that would be. How adventurous! "Oh, but where will you sleep? I couldn't take your room from you..." As he spoke of hurrying, she nodded and hurried from the room and out into the hallway. Although she had no idea where she was going, Ana made it look as if she did, jogging down the stairs slowly and observing all of the crew members. Perhaps she could find friends on the ship, if she was lucky enough. But maybe not...<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>you do not have to worry about me. I'll be taking the empty Lt.'s room right next door to my cabin"<br/><br/>he said as he led her up to the bridge where the crew were just finishing their launching sequences and getting the ship ready to go. what was strange was that there were no windows anywhere on the bridge. instead there were big screens showing what was outside. as he offered her the captain's seat the massive engines deep below them roared to life as the ship began to slowly move away from the dock.<br/><br/>(the bridge-->m<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/seed/lineart/archangel-bridge.jpg">http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/seed/l ... bridge.jpg</a>m<br/><br/>the captain's chair-->m<a class="postlink" href="http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/seed/lineart/archangel-captain.jpg">http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/seed/l ... aptain.jpg</a>m)<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Sliding into the captain's chair, she felt excitement coursing through her veins. "I've got no idea what I'm doing in this chair. I think it's best if I sit here and just look pretty, does that sound good?" She asked softly, teasingly. Looking at the screens that showed the outside of the ship she smiled for a moment or two, her eyes turning towards the controls for a moment. Boy, she had no idea what she was doing...<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the massive ship was extremely steady due to its size. he chuckled at her comment. as the ship slowly moved out of the harbor, they see a damaged, smoking ship being brought to a dock for repairs.<br/><br/>"it's amazing that any one is still alive on that ship"<br/><br/>Altair said as he looked at the wreck. suddenly the image of the damaged ship enlarged and zoomed in to show exactly how badly it was damaged. there was almost nothing left.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>There was a great deal of damage, and Ana's eyes widened as the picture zoomed in. How was anyone alive on that ship? It was a shame, too...Such a great ship like that being completely wrecked. Hopefully they could salvage it so that it wouldn't have been a completely waste. "Whoa, I've never seen anything like this...The real world is so freaking cool!" Having hardly been allowed out of her castle, Ana has never gotten to experience real life situations like this. "So what exactly do I do? Try and not get killed when you find these pirates?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"just sit there and observe. now from what we have learned, most of the crew was taken as slaves"<br/><br/>he said and swayed calmly as the ship rolled and pitched slightly with the waves<br/><br/>bring the ship up to full speed and come to course 2100 revolutions 2000"<br/><br/>the crew acknowledge and the engines roar deep within the ship as it speeds up.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana had no idea what kind of orders he was giving the crew. She had no idea what she was doing here, but it was all so exciting to her. To be on an actual ship, & what a ship at that! To be sitting in the captain's chair. To be next to such a handsome captain. To be on this adventure without her guards. It was enough to make her giddy, though she restrained herself from showing it.<br/><br/>She did what she was asked & observed. Her heart raced at the sound of the engines starting up. She'd never heard such a sound before. It sent a tingle through her body.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>as the ship plowed through the waters Altair listened as each section gave a report and nodded in satisfaction that all was well. he turned to look at Ana and smiled as he held out his hand to her.<br/><br/>"would you like a tour of the ship your highness?"<br/><br/>he asked.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She smiled genuinely at him. "Here I thought I was supposed to sit here & look pretty all day," she teased. She took his hand willingly. It was soft, yet firm & warm. Much like it had been last night when they danced. Plus it gave her not only an excuse to take his hand again. & it gave her an excuse to get out of being surrounded by so many men. After what happened with the prince, she still wasn't all that comfortable with so many men. Altair she was comfortable with because he had saved her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>before they could leave the bridge a sailor behind them spoke up.<br/><br/>"Sir, we have a contact heading due east, about 50 klicks north"<br/><br/>"right, signal all hands to level 1 battle stations"<br/><br/>suddenly all over the ship, lights that had been green turned red as a females voice sounded throughout the ship telling the crew to go to their stations and to prepare for ship to ship combat<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Combat? Wow, so soon? What was she to do now? She kept a grip on his hand without realizing it. There was all kinds of action around her now. A mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear, & worry ran through her "What is it you want me to do now?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>wait until you see this ship in combat"<br/><br/>he said with a proud smile on his lips. the ship plowed through the sea faster than any ship in her father's fleet, baring down on the 'contact' the sailor behind them had mentioned. he looked down at her and said.<br/><br/>"now we go to see more of the ship, your highness"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She stood up to follow him. She couldn't wait to see the rest of the ship or to see it in combat. As she was shown the ship, she gazed around amazingly. The ship was awesome in every sense of the word. It was big, no, it was huge! She still wasn't sure how such a massive ship, made from metal at that, with no sails, oars, or masts, could even float. but at least it gave her an excuse to be near the handsome captain.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he led her through the ship pointing out the mess hall, the gym, the medic bay, the school, and the guardery where a pile of young children whether human, anthro, or animal, slept peacefully together in one big pile. a chakat looked up at them from where shi lay beside the pile of children. shi watched them carefully for a moment before shi smiled at them and nodded softly to them and then indicated for them to be quiet.<br/><br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looked around the ship, listening as he explained the different rooms. They got to the guardery & she almost jumped out of her skin. What she saw was a... a... creature. It looked a bit like a centaur from myth, but instead of being human/horse, it was animal/animal with some human features. What was that thing? Was it dangerous? Why was it on this ship? Panic started to rise within her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair smiled at Ana and then walked over to the Chakat and spoke softly to hir. the chakat nodded and smiled plesantly at Ana before shi got up and walked with Altair over to her.<br/><br/>"hello there, your Highness, i am Shir Desertwind. welcome to the guardery"<br/><br/>shi said softly with a purr in hir voice.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana nearly fainted when the thing spoke to her. She tried to play it off cool, even though she was visibly shaking. But if it was on Captain Altair's ship & he seemed friendly with it, how dangerous a beast could it really be? She curtseyed to it. "I'm Princess Anastasia Cameron." She introduced herself. Where she found the courage to speak was beyond her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Desertwind smiled and held out a paw to Ana and smiled.<br/><br/>"i know you are afraid of me but you have no cause for alarm as long as you don't harm any of the children under my care. we chakats are very protective of the young ones"<br/><br/>shi said and turned as one of the younger children began to whimper in it's sleep. shi smiled sadly and walked over to the pile and pulled out a human child and calmly held her and rocked it back to a peaceful slumber before setting it down on the pile again.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As Desertwind smiled & spoke again, she gave the creature a small grin. She smiled as Desertwind picked up the small child & rocked it like a mother would. It eased her to know that if this creature could be so friendly with children, then there should be nothing to fear.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her and then led her deep into the ships stern the sounds from the engines growing louder but still tolerable. he leads her into the engine room and shows her the 4 massive engines that were bigger than a house heck they were each bigger than two houses together.<br/><br/><br/><br/>each engine is double this in length and in heightm<a class="postlink" href="http://www.tugboatenthusiastsociety.org/Images/Photos-Machinery/FM-38D-12CYL-500PIX.jpg">http://www.tugboatenthusiastsociety.org ... 500PIX.jpg</a>m.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana follows him out of the guardery. She couldn't help but think how nice it would be to someday be able to rock her own child in her arms some day. But first she'd have to find a husband. She gave a sweet grin to the Captain.<br/><br/>As she is led into the engine room, she stares wide eyed at the massive engines. "What are they?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"these are the engines. they are what move the ship through the water."<br/><br/>he then explained how an internal combustion engine worked and how they moved the ship.<br/><br/>"it use to be that we wouldn't be able to speak to each other in here because of the engines. that was back before we used diesel and electricity"<br/><br/>he said and then led her back through the ship to a door between the medic medic bay and the guardery. the door was marked by a sign saying 'nursery'<br/><br/>"this is where the future of this ship spends their first few years before they go into guardery"<br/><br/>he said with a whisper and then opened the door. inside the room was filled with beds some had human females, some had anthro females one even had a normal female husky. although some of the females were at the point where they were very close to give birth, almost every bed that had a female had babies with them, some just born others slightly older.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She listened carefully to his explanation. She still didn't really understand it, but OK. She then followed him out to the nursery. As he opened the door, she cooed silently at the little ones. They were all so cute! She grinned at him & playfully nudged him. "So tell me, which ones are yours?" she teased.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he grew saddened at her comment.<br/><br/>"i don't have any"<br/><br/>he said and then began to softly speak to some of the mothers with the youngest babies. a tiger cub stumbled up to her and mewed wanting to be picked up.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She felt bad for teasing him now. She hadn't known it was a touchy subject. She'd started to apologize for it, but he went to talk to some of the mothers. She sighed. Just then a tiger cub wandered up to her. She looked around, fearing an attack from a tiger mother. Not noticing any at the moment, she picked up the small cub, cuddling, nuzzling, & rocking t gently.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the cub purred and nuzzled her back before doing something completely unexpected. it suddenly moved forwards and tried to latch onto her breasts and began trying to drink from her. a female feral tiger padded up to her and looked disapprovingly at the cub. the tiger then changed into an anthro before Ana's eyes and shook her head as she sighed.<br/><br/>"please forgive him. this isn't the first time he's done that"<br/><br/>she purred and then slowly reached forwards and gently detached the cub and put him to her own breast and murred as it began to feed.<br/><br/>"my name's Natasha. I'm his mom and the head nurse here in the nursery. if there is ever anything i can do to help you just let me know"<br/><br/>she purred<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the cub latched on to her breast, she let out a squeal as his tiny teeth pierced flesh. She tried to detach the cub to no avail. Seeing the mother tiger stroll up to her, she became like a deer in headlights, fearing she was getting ready to be ripped to shreds.<br/><br/>Then something else happened. The tiger transformed into something that was the same but different. As the woman introduced herself & removed the cub it took her a moment to speak. "I-I'm Princess Anastasia." She introduced herself & curtseyed. She rubbed a bit on her sore breast where the cub had latched on & no doubt drew blood.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"it is a pleasure to meet you your highness. so how are you enjoying your life on board a warship so far?"<br/><br/>the tigress before her asked as the cub continued to suck away at her breast<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the woman started to converse with her, she felt a bit more at ease. "It's wonderful! & the Captain is so great. & so handsome. It's like being in a dream!" she gushed. Yes, from the moment they met & he took her hand on the dance floor she'd felt like this was a dream. The prince had tried to turn it into a nightmare, but there was no chance of that now.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Natasha smiled at Ana.<br/><br/>"yes i can well understand that. did you know i use to have a crush on the captain? that was long before i met my mate. but if i could i would so go with the captain to his bed. he is so considerate of all of us on this ship no matter what position you have"<br/><br/>she purred and looked at Ana.<br/><br/>"i can see that you too have a crush on him, however i must warn you that he's been through a difficult time recently. i won't tell you about it, that is up to him to disclose. i just wanted to let you know. now please excuse me i have other hungry cubs to feed"<br/><br/>she said and then walked over to a nest where a group of tiger kits were whimpering and mewing for their mother. she lay the cub down and then changed back into her feral form and lay down in the nest so the cubs could feed.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She became a bit jealous of the tiger's crush on the Captain, but she didn't show it. She blushed a bit when her own crush was mentioned. "Well, it would be hard not to have a crush on him, wouldn't it?"<br/><br/>She couldn't help but wonder how many other females had a crush on the handsome Captain Altair. she was sure there were plenty. She also couldn't help but wonder what difficult time he may have went through.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair came up behind her and he looks sadly at the small babies and sighs sadly.<br/><br/>"almost makes you want to have some of your own huh?"<br/><br/>he said and then turned to leave.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She sighed & smiled. "Yes it does." But being only 20 she knew she could wait a bit longer for that. She turned & followed him out.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>there was a girl i was interested in but she found the most public and humiliating way to leave me and did so. so no i don't have a mate"<br/><br/>he said and led her back up to his cabin where she would sleep.<br/><br/>"i shall call you when we find the pirates your highness. if you wish you may tour the vessel at your leisure"<br/><br/>he bowed a bit stiffly, indicating that the break-up must have been very recent, and then headed to the bridge.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She frowned from his statement. Who would want to leave or humiliate him? But she knew what it felt like. The prince had public humiliated her at the ball.<br/><br/>She curtseyed a goodbye before heading into her room. Once inside she got dressed for the night. She sighed, then put her robe on to explore the ship, feeling a bit restless.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair sat in his chair on the bridge. he could feel a longing for her but wasn't ready to try a commitment so soon, not after what had happened last time. he got up and told the bridge crew that if they needed him he would be in the gym. he walked to the gym and stripped down to his boxers, not even thinking that the princess might come in her during her wanderings, and began working out to try and release his stress.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She began to wander the ship. She wasn't used to wondering around by herself. Being a princess, she usually had people surrounding her. Be it guards, servants, maids, or whatever, there was always someone. With what the prince had tried, she felt a bit uneasy being by herself on this ship surrounded by strange men. & weird beasts.<br/><br/>As she wandered she began to hear a noise coming from the gym. Warily she peered in. She saw Captain Altair working out in nothing more than his underclothes. She walked in & grinned at him "Are those navy issue as well?" she teased him.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he had been in the middle of his work out with some heavy weights when he heard her comment. he fumbled a bit but caught it so that there was no damage either to him or to the ship. he got up and quickly toweled off most of his sweat before putting on his pants and his undershirt.<br/><br/>"please forgive me your highness, i didn't think that you would come in here and see me in such a state."<br/><br/>he said and bowed to her<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She grinned at him. "I can't say that I see anything wrong with your 'state'." She giggled a bit. "Besides, I'm in such a state as well." She motioned to her own nightclothes & robe. "This does explain your fitness. How you were able to take down the thugs & prince with ease." She shuddered at the remembrance. She didn't want to think of what could have happened had Captain Altair not been there.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>with my line of work, you have to stay in shape"<br/><br/>he said and slowly moved closer to her until he was standing in front of her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looked up at him. He was so close now. As she gazed into his eyes, she became lost in the moment. She wanted him to take her in his arms. Could she have really found the man she was destined for?<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>is there something i could do for you?"<br/><br/>he asked and moved closer to her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She moved her hand over his chest. A smirk spread across her face. "Maybe." Standing on the tippy toes, she went to kiss him. Normally a woman would not kiss a man, but instead leave it to the man. However, she was a princess & she was not in her kingdom to get reprimanded for such things.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he kissed her slightly in return and smiled at her. he suddenly realized what he had done and turned form her.<br/><br/>"please excuse me for my actions. i shouldn't have done that"<br/><br/>he said and then took on a more professional face.<br/><br/>"is there anything else you require, ma'am?"<br/><br/>he asked<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She still smirked. "What, you kiss me, then apologize for it? I'm not that bad, am I? No need for an apology. As I recall, it was my actions that led to it."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"it is inappropriate for either of us to have done so... what would your father say?"<br/><br/>he said and then began to lead her back to her room.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She huffed a bit. "He'd say that at least you're better than that prince ever was." She knew he was right to an extent. But she'd had hoped he'd court her. She walked with him to her room in silence, thought's running through her head.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he left her at her cabin's door and bid her a goodnight. he walked to the mess hall and had something to eat before going to his temporary room in the Lt.'s room that was right next to his captain's room where she now slept. he drifted off into a light sleep, his dreams haunted with thoughts of her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She bid him a good night & went in for the night. She couldn't help but think of him. The kiss they shared had been amazing. So what then was so wrong? Was it just because he wasn't ready to move on after his last girlfriend? Or was it because she was royalty & he was not? Or was it both? She lay sleeping, her dreams restless.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he knew it was wrong but he couldn't help it, he was in love with her... but how could he ever have a chance at courting her? he was just a lowly naval captain from a different time than her. he was there only to help her father and then he would be sent off on his next mission. these were the thoughts that were going through his mind as he waited in line to get his breakfast.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The next morning she stood in line to get her breakfast, though a few people let her in front. By the time she moved up in line, she was behind the Captain. "So tell me Captain Altair, what would you recommend for dining?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he turned around at the sound of her voice. he was stunned at her beauty and at the dress she was wearing. it showed her figure well.... a little too well.<br/><br/>"well there is the scrambled egg, hotdog, and baked bean mixture that i like or you can have each thing separate.... it's all up to you. there is also fresh fruit, juice, milk, and cereal"<br/><br/>he said and waited for her to get her food and then payed for her meal as well as his<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She got a little bit of numerous things, some she knew of, others she had no clue about. But she was always willing to try something new. She went with him to sit, taking a seat across from him at the same table.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her and began to eat.<br/><br/>"so... how was your sleep?"<br/><br/>he asked as he ate.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looked at him. Should she tell him her sleep was restless? Should she tell him he was in her mind all night? Should she tell him she didn't understand his reaction to their kiss fully? She averted her gaze away from him. "It was... um, it was fine." It was a lie, but maybe a lie wouldn't complicate things more than the truth would.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>yes well mine could have been better i kept .... worrying about getting the people back alive from the pirates"<br/><br/>he said but the long pause told about something else. he silently cursed at himself for the pause and began eating again. a young girl in a navy uniform came into the room and approached them.<br/><br/>"captain. we think we have them"<br/><br/>Altair looked up and nods.<br/><br/>"thank you, corporal, we'll be on the bridge soon"<br/><br/>he said and continued to eat quickly.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She couldn't help but wonder what he was hiding. She thought of mentioning it, but then a female reported they had found the pirates. She finished her meal quickly & followed him up to the bridge. She discuss it with him later.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>come on, you were sent to see the ship in action, weren't you?"<br/><br/>he said with a smile and quickly finished his meal. he sets his dirty tray and dishes on a conveyor belt that would take them into the kitchen for cleaning and then headed to the bridge.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She smiled back at him "Yes, I was, wasn't I?" She followed suit, placing her try & dishes on the conveyor belt before following him up to the bridge. Everything on this ship was so new, so different, so strange. She couldn't wait to see the ship in action.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"where are they?"<br/><br/>Altair asked as he helped her into the captain's chair.<br/><br/>just over the horizon, sir, headed due east."<br/><br/>a sailor called out.<br/><br/>"we have visual sir, on screen"<br/><br/>a different sailor said as the image of the pirate ship appeared on the screen in front of them. they watched as the pirate flag was lowered and a different flag was raised.... the same flag as the country that the prince was from!<br/><br/>"sir, new contact! baring 3071 headed this way. at this rate they'll pass right by the enemy ship!"<br/><br/>sound level 1 battle stations, condition red"<br/><br/>his orders were carried out and all over the ship lights that had been yellow since they had left port turned red and began flashing<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She watched as the pirate flag was lowered & a new flag was raised. What did this mean? Was the prince's country behind this? Or had one of their ships been ambushed too & the flag stolen? Was it a trick?<br/><br/>She jumped a bit as the lights changed in color & began flashing. That was something she was not used to.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"i have no idea how they got that flag, they may just be using it to confuse other ships into being easy and not alarmed. until it is too late. but it won't happen today, come to battle speed, intercept that pirate vessel. 105 starboard alpha, prepare one warning shot fire on my command"<br/><br/>the gun crew acknowledged as the ship sped up and quickly closed on the pirate ship. on the screen on the right of the bridge, an image of the side turrets appeared and showed the forward-most 105 howitzer start to turn and rise in elevation in preparation for firing.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She watched as the gun came up on the screen. It didn't look like the canons on her father's ship. There seemed to be no way such a long, skinny canon could do much damage to anything. She was beginning to have her doubts.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled and pointed at the screen indicating for her to watch. soon they were upon the pirate ship. Captain Altair picked up the phone-like speaker and called out to the pirate ship.<br/><br/>"attention unidentified vessel. this is Captain Altair of the FFF BB Class Bismarck of the Cameron Navy. stop your ship, i intend to board you. if you do not comply we will open fire on you!!"<br/><br/>they waited a bit and watched as the pirate ship put on more sail and tried to run for it.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She watched as the pirate ship tried to outrun the ship. It was clear this ship was faster than the pirate ship. But could it really do more damage than a ship from her father's fleet? She should soon see.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>105 starboard alpha, fire one warning shot in front of their bow, now!"<br/><br/>at his command the ship shuddered a bit as the gun fired. a fountain of water spewed up in front of the ship but it kept sailing away. the Bismarck easily kept up with it and even had to slow down so as not to pass it. Altair frowned and continued waiting to see if the ship would stop.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She watched the screen intently. The blast seemed powerful enough. She looked at him. "Why don't you just board the ship? You're keeping up with them easy. Wouldn't it be more effective to board rather than blast the ship?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"we could, however it is much easier to board them while they are still. otherwise we have to keep chasing them while trying to get on board. trust me not easy to do."<br/><br/>he said seriously then he called into the speaker.<br/><br/>"attention unidentified vessel. this is Captain Altair of the FFF BB Class Bismarck of the Cameron Navy. stop your ship, i intend to board you. if you do not comply we will open fire on you, this is your final warning"<br/><br/>as the ship suddenly turned away from them Altair called out to the sailors down in the CIC.<br/><br/>"Forward gun turret. target the enemy masts, take them out"<br/><br/>the screen in front of them showed the massive 18 inch gun turrets on the bow and they could see and feel them being turned by the massive hydraulics.<br/><br/><br/>(here is what is happening once he gives the order.m<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVvEPTYrcXA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVvEPTYrcXA</a>m)<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>What he said made sense. She supposed it would be easier to board a halted ship rather than a moving one. She watched as the guns turned, preparing to fire. She just hoped if they did fire, that the prisoners on board were safe.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he stood there and waited for the ready signal from the gun crew to fire. finally the gun crew signaled ready and then came the order.<br/><br/>"FIRE!"<br/><br/>a warning buzzer sounded three times, and everyone covered their ears, before the huge 18 inch gun blasted out it's deadly payload. the ship rocked back in the water as the shell screamed towards the pirate ship. there was an explosion of wood and all three masts were sheered off from the ship. they teetered for a split second before toppling backwards onto the pirate ship's deck.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She followed suit & covered her ears. She could still hear it though. She jumped a bit at the sound. She watched as the masts toppled over. Maybe they'd stop now.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"now we board her"<br/><br/>he said. the next instant there was a pinging thud as a rock was catapulted from the pirate ship. it his the side of the Bismarck and bounced off<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She heard the ping. They were firing. But it didn't sound like it was doing any damage. She certainly didn't feel like it was. There was no significant jarring or rocking of any kind from it. "So are you still going to board with them firing?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair looks back at the pirate ship fires a second rock..... that pinged off the side as well. he just shook his head, amused, and then turned back to her.<br/><br/>"i and my boarding crew will be going alone, unless you wish to join us?"<br/><br/>he asked.<br/><br/>we could outfit you with protection, if you choose to join the boarding party"<br/><br/>he said as the announcement was put out through the ship to ready the boarding party<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looked surprised that he asked her to join. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but if looking at my pretty face helps you, then I'll go." She grinned at him teasingly. She was a bit unsure about going on board a pirate ship. But she was sure if Captain Altair felt it was unsafe, he wouldn't have asked her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"we'll be fine."<br/><br/>he said and then started to head to the elevator to go to the boarding lockers.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She smiled at him. She got onto the elevator with him to get suited up. She was still a bit nervous about going on a ship with pirates, but knew she'd be safe in his presence.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>at the boarding lockers were a group of 40 men and women all garbed in uniform with Kevlar body armor on.<br/><br/>"we shouldn't be too long"<br/><br/>Altair said as he put on his own body armor. he then took out a key and opened a locker what held the M-16 rifles and the ammo clips. he handed one gun to each person and then took one himself. he then handed out four clips to each person and told them either the number 1, 2,3, or 4. depending on what number he gave them they went either to the right side of the hallway or to the left and headed to their assigned boat. he turned to her and said.<br/><br/>"there is still room for one more in my boat, will you come?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She watched intently as he suited up. He looked even more handsome in his armor if that was even possible. She watched as he handed out strange weapons & gave orders. She grinned at him. "I wouldn't go if I had to be placed in someone else's boat. Of course I'll go in yours."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her and pulled out some body armor and helped her into it.as he tightened the straps holding it closed he said.<br/><br/>"no one will think less of you if you were seasick, heck when i first started out i was on a much smaller vessel and it rocked allot. i was sick for days until i got use to it and no one said anything, in fact everyone was very sympathetic and helpful..... although there was one person who kept playing pranks on me, i still have to get him back for some of those"<br/><br/>he said and then smiled at her. he then handed her an M-16 and two clips.<br/><br/>"ready?"<br/><br/>he asked as he closed the lockers.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She'd never been on a boat before, but she wasn't seasick on this ship so she wasn't too worried about that. She figured his boat would be as steady as this one was. She allowed him to fit her in her armor. It was strangely light. She wasn't sure how it could protect anyone at all, but she trusted him.<br/><br/>He then handed her a weapon as well as two smaller objects. She looked it over. what a strange device. "How exactly do you use one of these things?" It didn't look like any sword he'd ever seen, but instead looked like a strange hand-cannon.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her and then put the gun away and then offered her a set of bows and arrows.<br/><br/>"would these work better for you?"<br/><br/>he asked. he wanted her to feel more comfortable around him, the problem was was that he was often around weapons of various kinds.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She grinned at him as he took the weapon & handed her something she was more used to. She tested the tautness of the bow. "This should work better." She had taken some archery lessons, but never shot at anything but targets before. If she'd have to use it, it would be new for her to shoot something else, but she was sure she could do it.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he walked her out of the ship onto the boat deck and helped her into the much smaller zodiacs that would bring them to the pirate ship. once they were in the boat he called out.<br/><br/>"Carry on the sea boats"<br/><br/>and the were smoothly raised off the deck and then lowered down to the sea. then he called out<br/><br/>"Away sea boats"<br/><br/>and they were off, four small boats speeding towards the crippled pirate ship. as they pulled up to the sides of the wooden ship the sailors clamber aboard and start yelling at the pirates to drop their weapons and get down on the deck. As Altair helps her up onto the pirate deck one of the pirates gets up and hits his arm just where the armor ended. he yelled in pain and crumpled to the deck his arm bleeding from the long gash left by the sword.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She didn't take into consideration all the rocking the boat did. She started to become seasick after all. It certainly wasn't as smooth as the ship was.<br/><br/>Once at the ship, she could hear the crew yelling at the pirates. She was a bit dizzy & nauseous from the ride. As Altair helped her up she caught a glimpse of the sword too late to wan him. As it struck his arm she called out. "ALTAIR!"<br/><br/>Out of instinct, she pulled an arrow & shot it at the pirate.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the arrow hit the pirate in the arm causing him to drop the sword. one of the sailors from their boat took the pirate into custody and forced him over to where all of the other pirates were being held.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She went to where Altair was crumpled in pain. "Oh! You're bleeding bad!" She did the only thing she could think of. She tore the bottom off her dress & tied it around his arm as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he grunted as she tied the cloth tight to his arm. he looks at her and smiled at her.<br/><br/>"not bad for your first field dressing"<br/><br/>he said and ran his uninjured hand across her head. while they were busy the sailors had quickly surrounded the pirates and had bound then with rope in one big group. once that was done some sailors went down stairs and started freeing the captives by either smashing the locks open with the buts of their guns or shooting them off. some of the prisoners, once they were on deck tried to attack the pirates but were stopped by the sailors and were then quickly put into the boats that had brought the sailors here. they were brought back to the Bismarck, which took a few trips from all 4 boats as there was more than just one boat's crew down below, and then the boats came back to get the sailors.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She smiled at him & teased him a bit. "If the pirate had been in a dress, maybe you'd have noticed him instead of focusing on my pretty face. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place." She tried to play it cool like it didn't bother her. But she was still visibly shaken by what had happened to Altair.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>suddenly someone called her name. it was her friend Grace, the one that brought her back the dress she was now wearing. Grace was supposed to be on her way back from vacation. No wonder she was a week late.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She noticed her friend & ran to her, throwing her arms around her. "I thought you were on vacation! I didn't expect to see you on board a pirate ship."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>our ship was attacked by these pirates while we were on our way back home"<br/><br/>Grace said and hugged her.<br/><br/>"so... who's the handsome hunk that you were talking to just now, huh?"<br/><br/>she asked nudging Ana playfully.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She giggled. "His name is Captain Altair. He & his wondrous ship are new to our navy. He has come from afar to help eradicate slavery."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Grace looked at her and grinned.<br/><br/>"is he single?"<br/><br/>she teased Ana knowing that her father had been looking for a suitor for her for a while.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She giggled again. "As a matter of fact, he is." She poked her friend a bit, teasingly. "But that doesn't mean you get to be all over him." She grinned.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"aww and why not.... do you have a claim on him?"<br/><br/>Grace teased back before she was called away by one of the sailors to get into the zodiac to betaken back to the Bismarck.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana giggled. "Not yet." She winked at her friend. As she was called off, she gave Grace one more hug before she left. She was just glad Grace hadn't mentioned her ripped dress she got for her. She'd ripped it to make a tourniquet for Altair. But if she'd have torn it any farther, her undergarments would be showing.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair lay on the deck watching the two females and smiled as Ana walked back over to him.<br/><br/>"friend of yours i take it?"<br/><br/>he said with a smile.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She smiled back at the captain. "Yes. That was Grace. She was on vacation. Or at least she was supposed to be. That is until her ship was ambushed by the pirates on the way home. You should thank her. She bought me this dress a while back. Without her, you wouldn't have your tourniquet," she teased him.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled at her.<br/><br/>"I'd ask for your help getting up but I'd probably pull you right over, then what would your father say?"<br/><br/>he said with a grin and then got a hand up from one of his sailors. the pirate ship was attached by a long cable to the Bismarck and Altair and the princess were brought back to the Bismarck. he was taken to the medic bay and a doctor looked him over.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She grinned at him, decided not to tell him that he'd already swept her off her feet so pulling her down wouldn't be that big of a difference. As they were brought back to the Bismarck, she went with him to the medic bay to make sure he was alright.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he comes out with his upper arm bandaged up but still mobile. he looks at her and said.<br/><br/>the doctor wishes to speak to you inside"<br/><br/>inside the medic bay the bloodied stuff had been cleaned away and the doctor stood there waiting for her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looks at him curiously. What could the doctor possibly want to speak to her about? She nods & walks in. The doctor was waiting & she was glad to see all the bloody mess was gone.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"your highness, do you realize that you probably just saved our captain's life?"<br/><br/>he asked.<br/><br/>"had you not made that tourniquet he probably would have bled out before he could have been brought back to this ship. i thank you"<br/><br/>he said and bowed to her, but this wasn't a bow for royalty, this was a bow of gratefulness.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She blushed a bit & curtseyed back to him. "It was nothing really. I saw Captain Altair hurt & acted on it."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair stood outside the medic bay waiting for her. he was not happy and it showed on his face.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She looked at him worriedly. "What's wrong? What happened?"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>we have to show these to your father"<br/><br/>he said with a frown as he handed her the flag from the pirate ship and some papers from the prince's father ordering the attack on her father's merchants.<br/><br/>"we learned from the pirate captain that they were the only ship ordered this way"<br/><br/>he said and then started to walk back to the bridge.<br/><br/>plus i need to ask him something myself"<br/><br/>he said hiding a grin from her<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As she looked at the flag & the orders, she could feel her blood boil. "That dirty, no good... bastard!" She couldn't believe it. First he tries to rape her, now his father orders a pirate attack on her father's fleet. She was furious. "Yes, we need to see my father at once!"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>"ah, Ana! Just who I was-- oh my your dress! What did you do! Come with me this instant and I'll get it fixed up!"<br/><br/>Grace says taking Ana's hand and dragging her away. Altair was glad that he hadn't had to tell her what he wanted to ask her father for it would have ruined his surprise for her. he walked to his cabin and put in a call to his commander to inform him about what had happened.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She giggled a bit at seeing Grace again. "My dress? You're just now noticing that? My, vacation's really got you blindsided, didn't it?" She took Grace's hand & let her lead her away, waving a bit at the Captain as she disappeared with her friend.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>you love him don't you, Ana?"<br/><br/>Grace said teasingly once they were in her room and had begun fixing the torn dress.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/>Ana giggled a bit. "Is it that obvious? But how can I not? He's so charming & handsome & sweet." She sighed. "But I doubt he feels the same."<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>as obvious as a clown's nose. you should ask him otherwise how will he know you want him to approach you?"<br/><br/>Grace said as she worked on the dress. once he dress was fixed she stayed up for a bit more before bidding Ana good night. by the next morning, as reveille sounded, the ship was pulling up to the dock and the pirate ship was being taken away along with the pirates. Captain Altair quickly went up to the palace to speak to her father, getting the personal item out of the way so that if she did walk in she would only hear him talking about the mission and what they had found on the pirate ship. her father was furious at the double cross that the prince and his father had concocted behind his back.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana giggled at her friend's statement. Maybe she should tell him. But they'd kissed. That should have told him something, right? She sat up & talked with Grace a little while longer, wanting to hear all the details of her vacation & what they had done to her & the others on the pirate ship so she knew exactly what type of punishments they deserved aside from the ones she already knew of. When Grace left, she changed into her nightclothes & went to sleep.<br/><br/>the next morning, she awoke to the sound of the reveille just like the previous morning. Seeing they were at the dock already, she sighed. She dressed & gathered her things, figuring her trip was over. Naturally, a carriage awaited her to take her back to the palace & back to her boring princess life. After all the excitement, she wasn't so sure she wanted to go back.<br/><br/>After placing her belongings back into her room, she made her way to where she knew her father would be to give him her report on the ship he wanted. She wasn't surprised to see Captain Altair & her father conversing about what happened.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair nodded at her in greeting and then went to go back to his ship to prepare the next part of his plan, he had gotten her father's permission and even his blessing towards his course of action.<br/><br/>"ah. my lovely daughter. tell me what is your assessment of the captain and the fighting power of his ship?"<br/><br/>her father asked. he had already chosen but he didn't want his daughter to know this yet.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She grinned at her father. "Well, the ship I must say I had my doubts at first, but those were soon laid to rest once I saw what it could do. It is steady on the water. It is faster than any ship imaginable. The firepower is better than anything we could have dreamed. & when we were shot at, it barely was noticeable. It's tougher than anything. It's also bigger than any other ship. The crew is friendly. & the things on it are so out of this world it's as if God himself created it. As for the Captain..." She blushed a bit & giggled. "He's fantastic! He's so strong, so kind, so handsome! Oh, Daddy, he's perfect!" She was gushing, but she couldn't help it.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>good, I'm glad you like it and the crew. because it will be around for a while"<br/><br/>he said with a grin.<br/><br/>by the way i do hope you are ready for the festival tonight? i have arranged for the ship's crew to do a few performances for us and our people"<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She grinned, happy the ship was going to be around longer. She blinked. "Oh! The festival! I'd completely forgotten about it!" She wondered what the performance was going to be like.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>you should go and get ready for the festival, my dear"<br/><br/>her father said and then lightly kissed the top of her head and then sent her to her chambers to get ready.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She skipped off, giddy & excited, not only for the festival tonight, but that Captain Altair & his ship would be here longer. She bathed & with her maid's help, fixed up her long black hair & picked out the pretest dress she owned to compliment her fair skin.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>as the sun began to set and the festival began a group of the sailors from the ship, including Altair, got up onto a stage and Altair began singing in a fine tenor voice. as he sang the verse about 'his bonny lass' he looked right at Ana and winked at her.<br/><br/><br/>the songm<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRgMI4o_Rtw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRgMI4o_Rtw</a>m<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>(Her dress:m<a class="postlink" href="http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/nvbte.png">http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/nvbte.png</a>m)<br/><br/>The festival was grand with singing & dancing. As he winked at her, she smiled & blushed. He looked so handsome. & she had no idea he could sing so well.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled and then signaled the others to begin a new song. luckily the festival lasted 3 days for he had an idea. he then began to sing along with the others.<br/><br/>m<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5BGruk91M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5BGruk91M</a>m<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the singing started again, she smiled at him. The townsfolk was clapping along to the beat, as did she. She laughed a bit as a bent up old man bowed to her & offered his hand for a dance. Her guards had started to back the old peasant off. She stopped them & curtseyed to the old man. She took his hand & danced with him. After all, it wasn't every day a peasant could dance with a princess & she saw no harm in it.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>as they finished the song everyone cheered them and demanded more of the new and strange songs. Altair turned to his ship mates and said something to them and then turned to face the people.<br/><br/>"ladies and gentlemen, this song is in tribute to men from our home country who went to fight in a great war and for those who didn't make it back... one, two, one, two, three, and...."<br/><br/>then they began.<br/><br/><br/>the songm<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knxR-Q2VoBE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knxR-Q2VoBE</a>m<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/><br/>As the previous song ended, she curtseyed to the old man. When a new song began, the dancing had stopped. The people listened to the ballad, some with tears in their eyes. Many had known knights, guards, or those in the King's militia who had served or died. When the song ended, the people clapped out of respect to those who lost their lives.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>when the song was over there was a moment of silence for people to remember those who had fallen in wars. the silence was broken by the sound of one of the crewmen playing a slow sad tune on a bugle while Altair and then others brought their right hands up stiffly and held their hands just above their right eyebrow in a salute. the tune was quickly followed by one of the others playing a different tune on a set of bagpipes<br/><br/>(taps =m<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_iz8z2AGw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_iz8z2AGw</a>m<br/><br/>Amazing grace =m<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhGuhfBk5xk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhGuhfBk5xk</a>m)<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the songs played, many if not all the people joined hands & bowed their heads, some in remembrance, others in prayer. There were tears abundant both during & after the songs. Even the princess herself had teardrops streaming down her face.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Altair and the crew sang one more song and then walked off the stage. most of the crew members mingled with the crowd and a few of them hooked up with a few of the village girls, one of them even approached grace who blushed and took his arm and walked off with him. Altair meanwhile began to approach Ana and her guards.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana smiled as Altair approached her. "The songs were wonderful! I didn't know you could sing like that. Aren't you a man of many talents?" She gave him a playful wink.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled and offered her his arm.<br/><br/>"well I'm not the best, but yeah i am pretty good, aren't i?"<br/><br/>he said with a smirk on his lips.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana took Altair's arm. She giggled a bit. "Well, you were certainly the best on that stage. But yes, you are good. Saving princesses in distress from thugs & horrid princes, commanding a huge ship, lifting heavy weights, kissing, fighting pirates, singing. Makes me wonder what else the great Captain Altair is good at." She gave him a playful yet mischievous smile.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he smiled and led her out along the docks beside his ship and stopped at the end of the pier. he took a deep breath of the sea air and smiled. he turned to face her and gently turned her to face him as well.<br/><br/>"Anastasia. i... i would like to ask you something...... would......would you join me for dinner tomorrow night on my ship?"<br/><br/>he said<br/><br/>~~~~~<br/><br/>Anna giggled a bit at Altair's question. Why was he so nervous? She'd joined him for breakfast just this morning on that very ship. She curtseyed to him as was appropriate & gave him a soft smile. "I would be honored to join you." She tried to keep her composure, but inside she was giddy & excited.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he sighed and bowed to her. he couldn't believe that she had agreed. he was now one step closer to his objective. he turned to face back towards the village and then offered her his arm again.<br/><br/>"may i escort you to your quarters?"<br/><br/>he asked.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She took his arm once more. "Yes please do." She was giddy on the inside. She couldn't believe he'd asked her to dinner!<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>he walked with her sometimes hiding her from the sight of some of his sailors going at it with some of the village girls. he walked her up to her chambers and then, after looking around to see if there was anyone else around, he gave her a light kiss on the cheek and then left her alone and headed back to his ship.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana stifled a giggle as Altair hid her from the sights around her. The fact that he was so chivalrous was cute & sweet. As they arrived at her chambers, she curtseyed & offered him a sweet smile. "Good night, Captain & behalf of the kingdom I thank you for such a glorious evening." She was taken a bit by surprise as he kissed her cheek. She blushed. As they parted ways, she went into her chambers & squealed & giggled like a little girl who just got her first kiss from her crush. She changed quickly & got into bed, anxious for tomorrow night to come when she was set to have dinner with Altair.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>her chamber maid came into her room, having heard her squeal.<br/><br/>"your highness, is everything alright?"<br/><br/>she asked as she moved in to help her undress and get ready for bed.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>Altair went and spoke to the king and told him that he planned to leave tomorrow night to go and bring the rest of the army in, as well as show the princess his homeland. the king agreed and gave him his blessing.Altair then went back to his ship and began to get everything ready for tomorrow evening.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>The chamber maid had startled her a bit. "Everything's fine. In fact, everything's more than fine." She giggled. As the chamber maid helped her prepare for bed, she told her the story of the handsome Captain, her time on the ship, her dinner with him tomorrow night. She adored her chamber maid as the woman had been like a second mother & a friend to her.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>well then you should come back here before you have to go see the captain for dinner and we'll pretty you up for him. shall we, Your Highness?"<br/><br/>she asked.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>down on the ship the preparations were going very smoothly.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>Ana giggled. "Of course I'll come back here first. I can always rely on you to make me look my best. Of course you'll have your work cut out for you tomorrow as I have to look better than my best. think you can manage that?" She gave the woman a wink.<br/><br/>Once she was ready for bed, she hugged her chamber maid good night & crawled into bed to sleep, thoughts of tomorrow night filling her dreams.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the maid smiled and bowed to her.<br/><br/>"I'll do my up-most to do my best"<br/><br/>she said and then left her so she could sleep.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>the next morning the festival continued while preparations on the ship continued.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>She slept soundly through the night. The next morning, she awoke. After getting prepared for her day & having breakfast, she made her way down to the festival once again to engage in some festivities before tonight.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>the day seemed to fly by and before she knew it, it was time for her to go and get ready for her dinner with Altair. her maid stood in her room ready to serve her and help her undress and get ready to bathe.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>As the day seemed to go by, she kept getting more excited. When it was about time for her to be ready, she made her way back to the castle & to her chambers. She undressed for her bath while the maid got things out for her to wear. After her bath was done, it was time for her to get her hair brushed & fixed & to get dressed. This was going to be a magical evening.<br/><br/>~~~~<br/><br/>m<a class="postlink" href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs7/i/2005/260/1/e/Medieval_Princess_by_Shadilyn.jpg">http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs7/i/2005/2 ... adilyn.jpg</a>m<br/><br/>her maid helped her bathe and then change into the dress that she would wear to her dinner with the handsome Captain.<br/><br/>~<br/><br/>Altair waited at the bottom of the gangplank for her carriage to arrive with her.