Let's have a story...

But before that, I'll just archive what I did today so it won't be left out.

Woke up at 7, said the Jabez Prayer and went to have a medium breakfast before going back to bed again till 9, of which I was awakened to change up to go to my Mom's office to help out in admin stuff. But first, we (along with Dad) had to go to Great World to eat breakfast, something I wasn't aware of so I ended up with two breakfasts. We ate at the Bread Box, so I had a set meal of French Toast, a couple of half-boiled eggs and a cup of Horlicks. Today's the first time I cracked an egg properly without the help of another person! Yay! That means baking/cooking would be a whole lot easier for me now, if I practice more (hee hee). Once done, Dad dropped Mom and I off at her office, and we began work. I had to help her sort out a pile of worksheets and file them in an orderly manner. When the both of us were about finishing our task(s), Mom and Dad were having fun SMSing to each other that we were ready for collection and that Morriel would be ready for going to the National Museum of Singapore using lingos which neither parties could understand. We finished off at around 2.40pm, and went out for a late lunch of Fried Kway Teow before heading to the museum, where I guided them around with my experience from the outing I had earlier this year with my school. I took down a few notes at the Japanese Occupation section, for the sake of my group's history project. When we were done, I bought myself a souvenior (a bronze mini-model of a grandfather clock cum sharpener), then we made our way back to the car to drive over to Mr. Prata at Clementi for a nice prata dinner. I minimised my eatings as I knew prata was on the list of Embargo Items, and that since now's a competition season I'm now under Full Embargo. After the meal and a good chat on politics, we all went back home and thus now I'm here typing in my blog.

So now, let's start on the story. I'm leaving out the title for now or the surprising twist would be too obvious. Enjoy! Chapter One...

From his high spot in the crow's nest, a marine slung out his spyglass and looked out into the horizon. Just begining his shift of duty onboard the Steadfast, he was attentive and made sure no stretch of sky meeting the waters was left unexamined before moving on to other directions.

"I'm certain there's gonna be another one today," he told himself. "Pirates are many-a-times active on Wednesdays."

Suddenly, the sailor spotted a smudge on the horizon from the port side. Could it be a pirate ship? Or was it just another merchant vessel passing through to the Gulf de Andes? And yet again, if the spotted ship really did intend to go to the gulf, it would have followed the ussual merchant route, which was at Starboard to where the ship was. Being trained not to take chances, The marine quickly leaned over to call for the Captain.

"Captain!" he shouted. "There's a vessel at Port Deck! Not certain if it's something piraty, though."

"Very well then," said the Captain, as he walked out of his quarters just in time to hear the marine. "I guess we should inform the Commodore now, shaln't we?"

He then gestured to another marine on the main deck to signal to the flagship that was beside the Steadfast, the Endurance, to report the finding and request for a command of action.

One thing was for truth, though. The spotted object on the horizon was indeed a pirate ship, the Faith, which at that momment was raiding a traiding vessel that unfortunately went off-course. Onboard the vessel, Mr. Glosh, the firstmate of the Faith, was observing the crew as they tied the ill-fated merchants to the masts of their trading ship.

"Pull 'em ropes tight, Mr. Gillons!" he said sharply at a fellow pirate who was tieing the ropes. "We wouldn't want any of 'em getting in our way while loadin' da booty!"

A few other pirates were running out of the many doors on the deck with loads of trading materials in their arms. They all laughed at each other as they compared how much value each man had in his load. But they were soon to fall into a softer tone when the captain of the Faith marched his way onboard the looted ship.

With his tricorne hat tipped forward to cover his eyes, the captain stepped around the main mast to check each merchant carefully. Out of the blue, he stopped in his tracks, brushed away the side of his thick indigo coat and whipped out his pistol towards one of the tied men.

"You there!" he exclaimed. "I take it you're the captain."

"No!" the fat man wheezed out in fear. "I'm... I'm just a lain..."

The captain cocked his pistol and edged it closer to the man's wrinkled forehead, emphasizing that he wanted to know the truth.

"Alright, alright!" the prisoner finally admitted. "What'dya want from me?"

The captain uncocked his pistol and slid it back to his waist belt, kneeling down towards the man at the same time. He then moved up his hat, reveiling his whole face to him for the first time.

"D'you know who I am, mate?"

After staring at his face for a couple of seconds, the man nodded slowly with his eyes still on the face.

"Good, then. So tell me, this is the Ghambary, aye?"

The man nodded again.

"Excelent! Listen closely, now. I'm gonna let ya' loose. But yau're gonna show me the next thing I whisper to your slobby ear. Savvy?"

The captain then bent close to the side of the man's face and gasped a few words even others nearby couldn't pick out. After listening, the man hesitated for a while, later to bow his head in acceptance. The captain slashed out his sword and sliced the ropes free, causing everyone who was tied onto the mast to fall flat on the deck.

"Pin 'em down," muttered the captain.

His crew got their weapons out and had them aimed at all the men on the floor, except the captain of the trading vessel himself.

"Now, show me the way!" said the pirate captain, now smiling with slight glee anddrunkardly gesturing his arms to show the other captain off. Both captains went up to the back deck of the ship, where the captived one went to the wheel and yanked out one of the handles. Along with the grip came a small leather pouch, which the man tossed to the other captain to catch in mid-air.

The captain observed the pouch, sniffed around it and soon slid it into one of the pockets in his coat. But just before he could tell his used hostage, "Thank you, mate.", a pirate on the crow's nest on the Faith suddenly shouted down to all who were present, " It's the Royal Navy! Their right behind us, captain!"

The captain walked towards the edge of the Ghambary's stern and stretched out his spyglass, observing that there was not one, but two naval ships heading their way. And onboard the naval flagship of the two, a commodore onboard the Endurance was pointing his spyglass straight at them in return.

"Ah," sighed the Commodore. "If it isn't Captain Midelo Fratez. The fourth naval sighting of you this week, let alone public sightings."

He then turned back to the captain standing behind him, who was patiently waiting for the command to call on the attack.

"Well, Captain Skulblaka. About time we saw if you're promotion was worth the trouble. Knock yourself out with this one."

The captain knew what he meant very well, and grinned back his response before turning away to give the orders to the crew onboard the Endurance.

"My pleasure, Commodore Kanine."

Back on the looted ship, Captain Fratez slit back his spyglass into his shirt.

"Oh, bugger," He mumbled to himself. "It's Timanor again."

He then swayed himself back to the raided captain, bidding him, "Well, it's been nice doing buissness with y'all! G'day!" and shaking his hand violently before yanking out his pistol and using the handel to whack the back of his neck to knock him uncontious.

"Alright maties, it's time to leave!"

All the pirates scurried back onboard the Faith with whatever they had in their hands and chopped loose the ropes that binded the vessel to the looted ship. As they driffted forward to the open seas, Captain Fratez was at the wheel, thinking of which strategy he should use to shake the Endurance off their tail.

The Endurance was catching up well with the Faith, and Commodore Kanine was as confident as ever that he would be able to catch one of the most wanted pirates of the shores within the Dan Empire.

"Go on Fratez," he mumbled to himself, as if speaking to Captain Fratez alone. "I'll be there to see you get a good drop and quick stop."

He then instructed the sideship of the Endurance to attend to the stranded ship that had just been looted.

"We can take him down on our own."

Onboard the Faith, Captain Fratez called over Mr. Glosh.

"Where exacly are our bearings?" he asked him softly.

Mr. Glosh went down to the captain's quarters and fetched back out a map. He scroled it out and pointed at an area somewhere in the middle of Centargos Ocean.

"Here!' Mr. Glosh exclaimed, with a hint of curiosity on what Midelo had up his sleeve this time. Midelo got out from one of his coat pockets a compass and checked which direction they were headed to.



South-west.

"Perfect!" said Captain Fratez with delight. "The current's at out favour! Send Geugitt up to the crow's nest. And tell him to take his rifle with him."

Then with a sly grin, he told Mr. Glosh further, "Tell him to 'take the wheel'."

Understanding him completely, Mr. Glosh coughed out an "Aye, Capt'n. Aye." and went down to the main deck to call out for Geugitt. Among Midelo's crew, Geugitt was the best in hiting the bull's eye with any firearms ever handed to him. From terrain as windy as Sat de Clase, to as rocky as onboard a ship inside a hurricane, Geugitt was able to pin the ace as far as yards may vary.

And so he was well saught for for 'taking the wheel', a proceedure among Midelo's favourites.

Geugitt climbed up the mast ropes and barricaded himself alongside the watchman on the crow's nest himself.

"Alright," he whispered in his Scottish accent, signalling back below to the Captain that he was all ready. "Bring it to target."

The Captain opened out his right hand, and slowly counet his fingers down one by one. On the count of the thumb, he tossed the wheel clockwise, sending the boat sharp at starboard. Back on the Endurance, Commodore Kanine had no idea what on earth was going on.

"At least he's going to slow down because of this. Fool."

Or so he thought. The captain steadily said in a loud tone towards the crow's nest, "Anytime when it's at your aim, Geu!" Geugitt took his aim, and waited for the Faith to sail far enough towards starboard so the sails of the Endurace wouldn't block his path. He quietly grasped at the spark when he knew the sails were almost out of the way, breathing quietly to steady himself.

Finally,after what seemed like a fast-paced eternalty, Geugitt had a clear shot of what he was aiming for: The tiller wheel. Geugitt took note of the wind direction and the motion of the two boats, and in a matter of seconds he made a bullseye at the right target.

The bullet struct the rope of the tiller wheel that connected it to the rudder of the Endurance, thus making it snap in the friction. With the Mid-Centargos current underneath the vessel slamming the rudder towards its direction, the rope was sent slicing through a couple of decks, causing a lower-deck cannon to fall further into another cabin below it, and thus destroying a large portion of the stern altogether.

With the crew onboard the Endurance not able to properly control her direction, they had no choice but to stop their pursuit for the Faith.

"Pardon me," said Captain Skulblaka, returning from attending to an injured marine from the mishap, "but that was one of the best moves I've seen from the enemy!"

Commodore Kanine was leaning against the railings of the bow, letting his head down in partial shame as he noticed how the ship was being pushed by the currents towards a reef a mile or so ahead of them.

"And Mr. Fratez will have yet to see my revenge," he replied. "Just wait and see."

The crew of the Faith were celebrating on the main deck as they watched the reef scratched a large hole into the Endurance's hull.

"Alright, men!" siad Midelo in a light-toned voice. He yanked out the pouch which the captain of the looted ship passed on to him. He then opened the pouch and took out a piece of leather large enough to wrap a cannonball.

"According to this, my mates," he continued, "we must head to a port by the name of... Andrewsville - my, the Governor city of Tenile Island - there a good amount of booty awaits our claim!"

His crew cheered a short, "Hoorah!" before reporting back to their stations to sustain the Faith's sppeded course. But just then, a pirate at the port deck was peering off the railings when he saw a large figure looming under the water. It was a lot larger than the Faith, and he had no idea what the thing was. Unless, of course, it could be...

"The Kraken!" he exclaimed in sheer fright. "The Kraken is apon us! Everyone, to the center of the ship!" The other crew members who overheard him went towards the port deck to have a glimpse of whatever this man saw, and they all could only conclude that he was right. The captain then stammered his way to the port to see what the thing was for himself, and at that moment, the sighting rose from the surface.

It was definitely not an animal, that was for sure. But whatever it was, it was wailing like bent metal and was a whole lot larger than the ship in almost every way. Suddenly, from the top of the object, a lid opened, and out popped a stout and plump man in a thick green suit with a hard-cased cap. He was a militant, that was for sure judging from the outfit decorations, but it was of no kind the captain had seen before.

"Tzu not fear me, Midelsko. This is a 'submarine'. 'Sub-ma-rine'."

The captain stared up towards the figure in slight amazement, somewhat hidden in his drunkard glowingness.

"Firstly," he said, "It's Mide'LOW', not 'SKO'. Where on earth did you get that from. And secondly, I just sailed away from the clutches of a marine fleet. What makes a sub marine any better?"

The man on the submarine rolled his eyes up in partial annoyance, but then relaxed again and made his way down to the Faith via an extended metal platform.

"Midelsko Fratezk,..."

"Captain!" Midelo exclaimed. "Captain 'Midelsko Fratezk'."

"Vuatever. Anywayz, I havk com from tzhe future by meanz ov my professorz, aand am willing to make a deal wiv you over zhe uze of zhat map of yourz."

He steadily pointed at the map Midelo was clutching with his right hand, his left hand stroking the hairs of his short mustache.

"I see," said Midelo. "And who is of great... honour to make this deal with?"

"Szpeak zimple hEnglish. I'm thrying to comprehezn you."

"Who on this planet are you?"

"Oh, vuhy dzidn't you juz say so? Lez juz say my name'z 'Hitler'. Bvuat juz call me 'Adolf' for short. 'Adi', if you muz."

"Okay, and what would your terms be,... 'Adi'?"

"Well, to make tzhingz simple, I knowz zhat you knowz zhat you can'ct juz bardge into Andrewzville like zat and expect to get all those bars of gold. So I propoze to you a plan. Cun we, erm, discuss in your quarters?"

Midelo tilted slightly to a crew member next to him, and nodded his head. The summoned man immediately went to the cabin and opended the door to the captain's quarters. Midelo then bowed down slightly and gesture to the door.

"After you."

Both characters went into the room, hidden fromt he view of others around the area for a few minutes before they both barged out.

"Agreedz, then!" said Adi in a joyful tone. "Vuat there'z juz one tzhing: How're you going to get accezz into the Andrewzville Hozpital, for za few monzthz?"

Midelo called for Mr. Glosh, who he whispered into his ear a flat instruction, of which Mr. Glosh ran down tothe bottom of the ship to fetch an item from the colected loot from the Ghambary. It was a leather-covered letter, coated with a broken seal of the Parlament of Tentile.

"This letter," Midelo exclaimed, as he reached for the letter, "was written to a Doctor Miguel Fusianalo to make journey to Andrewsville under the command of the Governor of Health of Tentile Island, where he would work for the Andrewsville Hospital under the supervision of a Proffesor Michael Rolebeth McKwarn, a member of the Andrewsville Council."

He then closed the letter.

"Unfortunately, I led poor Miguel to his plundge into bloddy waters, because he rebeled a little too far while I raided the Ghambary. But I guess it wouldn't hurt if I took over his place."

He then posed beside a portrait of the Doctor, which had not yet been placed below the decks along with the other loots, stating in a candid voice, "I look similiar to him anyway, don't you think?"

Adolf smiled.

"Fine, zen. At lezt we have that zettled. But remember, tzo and a halve more montzhz."

He went back into the opening of the submarine, only to pop out again to toss a thick book to Midelo before slipping back in, shutting the lid shut behind him. As the submarine sank back to the depts of the Centargos Ocean, Midelo flipped through what appeared to be a medical book.

"German," he sighed. "How'm I suppose to read this bloody thing?"

He then turned to Mr. Glosh.

"Mr. Glosh, would you be so kind as to help me settle this life boat down to the waters?"

"What for, Capt'n?"

"Dr. Miguel apparenly need to survive the looting of the Ghambary, and so he shall. Take care of this ship for me while I'm gone, will'ya?"

He then reached for his sword and sliced his beadr and mustach off till it looked a lot more Spanish-like.

"Meet you at Silentor in a couple of months time, savvy? I've got a Proffesor to meet."

To be continued...

Hee hee, ex-Detective's Case members would remember a few characters, now wouldn't they? If you've gueessed it, the title of this story is 'Before the Doctor', and it's about who the Doctor really was, if you know what I mean.