A Ship-of-the-Line

by KonceptKarma

Chapter 6. Ambush at Midnight

At midnight, as planned, two small gunboats approached the massive Equestrian man o' war loaded with bloodthirsty mercenaries who were eager to get paid. Each ship's lamps were doused to help mask them in the night's cover. One gunboat approached from the starboard side, the other from the port side. There appeared to be dead silence aboard the Resplendent as the gunboats drew ever closer. Both of their crews were itching with excitement, drooling at the amount of gold that the Ciervans had promised to pay for this job. As they prepped the boarding hooks, and drew into the light of the Resplendent's lamps, a single voice called out from the main deck of the man o' war.
"Fire!" As the voice echoed across the moonlit harbor, the thundering crack of the Resplendent's starboard broadside followed. The targeted gunboat erupted in a cloud of debris and crew members who had been thrown about by the force of the blast.
The voice then came again, "Muskets at the ready," The remaining crew who hadn't manned the starboard guns leaned over the port side of the ship, taking aim at the remaining gunboat. "fire!" A hail of gunfire pelted the crew of the gunboat. In a panic, the ship attempted to turn away before they could be fired upon again, but they were too close to the man o' war. A single figured leapt from the deck of the warship onto the gunboat. The remaining mercenaries drew their swords, and turned them to the assailant.
One of them stepped forward, "You're a brave one, but stupid. There's ten of us left, and only one of you."
The figure's smile pierced the moonlight, "Sounds like good odds to me." As soon as he spoke, the mercs charged him at full force. In a blinding blur, the figure spun on his hooves, cutting down the remaining mercs in seconds.
A familiar dark green unicorn looked over the port side of the Resplendent is surprise, "Where in the hay did you learn that one Gallant?"
" I dunno Carronade, I just did it." Gallant looked down at his hooves in surprise, he had no idea how he just pulled that off. He'd simply jumped onto the ship in anger and determination not to let them escape.
"Either way, that was a good plan, Captain." Carronade helped Gallant up over the railing as he spoke.
"Aye, it was Captain." One of the crew acknowledged. A sea of nods and humbled ayes followed.
"Thanks gents," Gallant looked around at the weary crew, "but we're not out of the fire yet. The ship is in no way sea worthy. We have to get her repaired. Tomorrow, I will go into town to contract the shipwright, while the rest of you will keep an eye out and guard the ship. I know that we all want some rest, but as of now, we are at war with Cierva."
"Wait, if you're gone, who's going to command the ship?" Carronade asked.
"You are." Gallant placed a hoof on Carronade's chest.
"Sir, with all do respect..." Carronade began. Gallant cocked a brow in curiosity. "you've got it backwards. After the sun rises, and the Ciervans notice the Resplendent isn't sunken, they're going to get worried. Thus, they'll be on the lookout for anyone of the crew in town, namely you. So I'll go, and you stay on board."
Gallant was about to protest, but some of the crew cut in, "He's right Captain. They probably know who you are." After a moment, Gallant gave in and nodded.
"Right, but you can't go alone," He looked around at the crew, and eventually pointed to a pegasus standing amongst them, "what's your name sailor?"
"Stark Tackline, sir." The pegasus responded.
"You good with a blade?" Gallant asked.
One of the crew piped up, "As good as any we've ever seen Captain."
"Aye, he saved my life during the privateer attack." Said another.
"Then that's all I need to hear, will you accompany my friend here ashore?" Gallant placed a hoof on Carronade shoulder in indication.
"Aye sir." Stark nodded.

As the sun rose over the horizon the crew moved about the deck busily, prepping the guns in case of another attack. Carronade, Stark, and Gallant discussed their objectives at the helm.
"All you need to do is get in contact with the shipwright, and contract them to repair the Resplendent. We need to get back to the mainland as quickly as possible in order to report this to the princess. If you can pick up any information on where Ardid is hiding while in town, then relay it to me." Gallant moved with a sense of urgency that he'd never felt before as he spoke. It felt quite unsettling to him.
"Aye, I'll do that," Carronade looked toward Stark, "make ready our longboat." Stark nodded and trotted towards a group of crew members, ushering them to help.
Gallant looked at the unicorn, "You looked puzzled, what's on your mind?"
"It doesn't really matter, I was just curious..." Carronade began, but paused midway through to think.
"Curious about what?" Gallant asked.
"Why exactly did you choose him out of all the crew?" Carronade finished.
"Because he looked the plainest." Gallant shrugged.
Carronade was surprise by this, "That's it? That was your criteria for selecting my partner on this mission?"
"Honestly," Gallant looked at Carronade, who expected him to continue, "yes it was. This operation must be carried out with discrepancy, if the Ciervans catch wind of our plans before they happen, then they gain an advantage over us. I chose Stark because he looks like he can blend into a crowd. Let's be honest here, most of us lot don't blend in at all."
Carronade chuckled a bit, "You got that right, we'd be easy to pick out from a crowd, so I see your point." Carronade turned to Gallant, who was staring at him. Suddenly, it hit him, "No. You can't possibly think that I..."
"Um, yeah, you kinda do." Gallant held back a laugh.
"I do not look plain!" Carronade sounded hurt.
"I'm not trying to insult you," Gallant fumbled for an explanation, "and no, you don't look plain. It's just that on first glance, you don't look like a sailor." Carronade looked at him expecting further explanation. "For instance, look at your mane, it's clean cut, your face is also shaven with no sign of facial hair growth at all. Your coat is clean, with no signs of wear. Then there's your hooves, clean and polished. It's obvious that you take care of your hygiene."
"Well yes, everything I do is stated in the Equestrian Navy Code." Carronade looked around at the crew as he spoke, then towards Gallant. He noticed all the details Gallant brought up were exactly the opposite on himself as well as the crew, his black mane was messy, and overgrown, and he had the makings of a beard beginning on his face. His light brown coat was visibly dirty, and its color had worn slightly. His hooves were also dirty, and not polished at all. Understanding his point, Carronade looked toward Stark, who had just finished prepping the longboat.
"We're ready to go sir." Stark called out.
"Right," Gallant placed a hoof on Carronade's shoulder, "good luck friend."
"Same to you Captain." Carronade trotted off towards the longboat. Gallant felt uneasy as Carronade and Stark climbed into the longboat, but they had no other choice. The fate of the ERS Resplendent and her crew, rest in the hooves of those two.

Author's Note:

I know this is the first time I described what Gallant looked like, and it's kind of late, but I felt it wasn't necessary until now. Mostly because it actually matters to the current part of the story as to what he looks like. Hopefully it isn't too big a goof on my part. :)