Today, Tomorrow, Tomorrow Mañana

All that you know, be it histories or sciences, could be swept away like chaff in the wind, for so often was history and science thought to be fiction. What do I mean? Pah! You come to me looking for what? Information? Entertainment? Do I look like a jester? Bah I guess if you're payin for it...take a seat this is a long story, and drinks are on you now. Hmm let's see, ah but where shall I begin.

In the times of early 1700, a time of great uncertainty, the world was at a standstill and and full of tension. The world again seemed to have reached its limits, with nations having the need to hold on to these highly valued investitures. Freedom was highly limited as it is a time of new ideas which clash with old. The world was set, ready for some great event to unleash. Many had waited a long time for this event, though no one knew just what this event must be. However there were some who could not wait for tomorrow to be free. Free from the old ways, to let enlightenemnt shine through the eyes of all. Although enlightenment is a broad term, and a dangerous one for humanity to take hold of. For they only assume they know all there is to know. The old ways are not what we thought, the new ways are not what they seem.

In the Spanish port of Santander, it was a hot, cloudless day.  The glossy sun was beginning to set. Many ships lay in port. The main tavern was filled but quiet, as the heat of the day still carried in the air. The cantina stank of rum and who knows what else. This large pub was a haven for the less than reputable type, a place for those who were eating in the hard parts of life, which made business quite well. A man, slow and deliberatly eased through the cantina doors and quietly strode into the room. His short leather seafarer's boots could barely be heard as his steps were so quiet. An old Spaniard in the corner of the bar played a slow melancholy tune on his guitar. The man took a seat at the bar and let out a deep sigh suffering in the midday heat.

"Thirsty?"  The bartender hinted to the man.

"Aye, just give me some water, it's been awhile since I've had a salt-less swig of that stuff," The man replied with a soft voice.

The bartender pours him some lukewarm water and passes it to the man. The man gently sniffed the water and slowly sipped at it, not minding the warmth of the drink. As man sat sipping at his drink many in the bar eyed him over. The man was diffinatley not local.

He was cleaner than most of those in the cantina, but still had the wornness of a sailor and maybe something more. He wore two sabers, both of equal length at his belt and upon his back under the cloak of his coat, was something fairly heavy wrapped in a light green linen cloth, which only protruded its end behind the man's head. His very dark brown hair was rough and unkempt and went to his shoulders; he bore a thin roughly hewn stash and chin. His face was worn and bore a pair of glasses hanging loosely on his nose; however he still retained a youthful face and other youthful features including...his short height of about five foot seven inches, of which he was not proud. 

He always seemed to have his dark hazel eyes far off in the distance as he was wise beyond his years. But it was in his eyes that one could become transfixed, as they always seemed to be different each time, changing, churning like a pair of translusent orbs reflecting whatever lay behind them in his mind. His age was a mystery, even to the man himself. His past is one of great peril, despite or because of this, he never failed to give that feeling that he was quite close to insanity, and if not, his mind goes deeper than one could possibly imagine. He wore a long mud-tainted brown coat that hung to his ankles, but strangely it appeared much heavier as if weighted down with objects within the coat.

He went by the name of Yasac. He was the former captain of the Spanish Navy, but had been framed and replaced and now, out of a job. He sat thinking to himself of a way to make money for the next day, about what would become of him. He sat up and ordered another drink, trying to recall the events that had brought him to this point.

Yasac sat deep in thought as he stared down into his drink. Yasac finally picked up the mug and downed the rest. Yasac reached into the folds of his coat and started to pull out a pistol, but then paused.

          "Eh, what's your policies on weapons here barkeep?" Yasac inquired in a low voice.

          "Dun use em," the man replied calmly

          "Can I clean them?" Yasac asked

          "Dun use em," the man grunted again and turned away.

Yasac thought this over for a moment, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small soft silk cloth. Yasac then slowly and calmly pulled out the pistol and began wiping it with the cloth. The pistol was very simple looking like an old relic; it was worn and outdated for sure.

          "Is that thing loaded?" The barkeeper asked a bit annoyed.

          "No," Yasac lied.

The barkeep sighed and turned away again. Yasac continued to wipe until the barkeep had his focus elsewhere. Yasac let the cloth fall from his hands and carefully fiddled with the pistol. Yasac searched every inch of the pistol, even eyeing down the barrel. Yasac sighed. Yasac leaned forward and held the pistol in his left hand, while his right took off his glasses. A single tear suddenly dropped from his eye and right down into the barrel. With that Yasac quickly shoved the pistol back into his coat and rubbed his eyes. When his eyes were back to normal Yasac slowly put his glasses back on.

          "Nother drink here," Yasac called.

The barkeeper waved his hand at Yasac while he chatted with another customer, signaling he would be right there. Yasac then nodded to himself and leaned back on his stool tipping it slightly but balancing it. Yasac withdrew a small blade from another pocket in his coat. The blade had an orange tint from rust, which made Yasac frown. Yasac then tilted the stool backwards more keeping himself balanced by holding onto the bar with his knee. Yasac then began to spin and twirl the knife in between his fingers and all around his hand. The barkeeper turned back to Yasac offering him another mug of water.

          "Ya know if you keep scarin me customers I'm goona have to ask you leave."

          "You got any olive oil?" Yasac asked obviously ignoring the man's statement.

          "Yeah...first water and now olives? What kinda sea farer are you?"

          "I prefer the title unique, but yes olive oil please."

          "Eunuch?"

          "Unique! Idiot!" Yasac shouted as he let his stool fall back forward.

The man handed Yasac a flask of oil and rolled his eyes.

          "After you're done with whatever your goona do with that oil, I think it would be a good idea for you to leave." The barkeeper stated grimly.

          "Does that mean I wouldn't have to pay?" Yasac asked as he douses the knife in the oil and rubs it down with his cloth.

          "No yer payin ya git, actually yer payin now."

          "I'd really rather not pay right now."

People in the bar suddenly took notice as the barkeeper twisted his neck and a large brute of a gentleman walked up behind Yasac with long and loud steps. Yasac again leaned back on his stool not paying any more attention to the barkeeper or anyone around him and focused on his knife cleaning.

          "I'm not goona say again amigo, leave," the barkeeper ordered as the large man behind Yasac slowly brought his hand to Yasac's shoulder, but Yasac still seemed to pay no mind.

Before the bouncer could even touch Yasac's shoulder, in the blink of an eye Yasac took the knife in his left hand and stabbed backwards into the bouncer's hand causing the bouncer to roar. Yasac rocked his stool forward and pounded the knife and the hand into the bar for a second until he rocked back with the stool and hit the bouncer in the face with the back of his head while simultaneously stomping the bouncer's toe with the stool leg. The bouncer started to fall backwards but due to his hand stuck to the bar, the bouncer tumbled back under bar to hang from it. Although just before the bouncer's hand started to tear in half from hanging from the knife, Yasac quickly snapped the knife from the hand and wiped it with his cloth again all in one motion. Yasac then leaned back on his stool again and continued to wipe his knife. The barkeeper gasped as it all happened so fast, and the others in the bar began to become anxious. The barkeeper looked over the bar to see his bouncer crumpled on the floor under the bar in pain. The barkeeper backed away from Yasac quickly. The barkeeper breathed in ready to shout for any guards nearby when suddenly a woman kicked the bar door open, which indefinably made quite a racket. She proudly strode in, with a one eyed man right behind her. She stopped in the middle of the pub, put her hands on her hips and studied the room.

From head to toe, there was something unique about her. She was about twenty-five years old. She wore a large black triangled hat. Her hair was brown and long and was tied in many indefinable random and strange ways.  Her face was fair and bore a confident smirk containing also, the look of one a bit absent-minded with her head always in the clouds. She was clothed in a frilly white shirt and large brown elongated leather vest with dirt black pants and boots. She was tall and semi muscular, just enough to look intimidating, but remaining elegant and beautiful. She had a large staff tapered on both ends, tied to her back. Her hands were oddly clean for one who looked of the sea, especially her fingernails which were abnormally long and well-kept.

Everyone in the bar turned their heads from Yasac's commotion to this newcomer, Yasac included. The one-eyed man was roughly faced but not that old, about thirty one would say.  A few scars were seen around the area his eye patch covered.  He was rough and grim looking with a muscular pale Scottish body and long sandy blond hair with a poorly shaven chin. His long hair stuck out from a black skull cap that kept a good amount of it out of his single eye. He had a scowl on his face and his loyalties were few. Greedy and not exactly known for his patience, such was this crude man. He wore a white tunic and black vest and tan pants. On his back was a worn musket that was most peculiar.  It bore two barrels instead of one and the igniter was modified heavily for easier loading of powder and ball. At his belt was a brace of pistols and sword to boot.

Any pirates in this time were thought to be a joke; countries those days had riches and fleet power enough to control their waters. While pirates in this time did indeed exist, they were few and their power was small. Especially Freelance pirates such as these were even rarer.

Then with a loud voice the woman said, "I be Hook-nail Scarlet and this is One Eyed Chives and we be lookin' for a crew to sail the seas and plunder the world of its riches."

Many of the people chuckled and shook their heads and went back to their drinks.

"What a fool. Should I say something or should I let it be? I really would prefer to be silent.  However, I am silent a bit too much for my own good." Yasac thought to himself.

Yasac then mockingly answered, "Do ye even have a ship, Miss?"

Scarlet walked up to Yasac and cried, "Of course I have a ship, you fool! Why would I be looking for a crew!"

The bouncer groaned at Scarlet's loud voice from under the bar. Scarlet looked the bouncer over and slowly looked back up at Yasac, raising her eyebrow.

Yasac answered before she could ask, "Then what is her name?"

Scarlet was taken aback, and did not answer. Yasac started to turn back to the bar, unimpressed.

"Pirates...interesting choice of work, but whatever suits people these days," Yasac thought to himself.

But then out the window Yasac spied a very familiar off-of-the-line Brig of War not more than a year or two old, which Yasac quickly realized was captained by the man who had framed him. Yasac's former ship, the very ship he captained not more than a week ago.  A thought suddenly popped into his head. He had served many a master and only a few did he ever like.  Most used Yasac only to further their own goals. It was almost never reputable work which Yasac had to do; the jobs and orders never brought happiness to anyone but his masters.  As if being a pirate would be any different. Yasac had few skills other than war. Of course Yasac was also good at adapting; he quickly learned how to use those who would seek to use him. As Yasac had goals of his own, but ones he could never seem to reach. But to be free from corrupt Admirals and Lords...and Yasac supposed a little vengeance could be found as a pirate, and to get his old ship back, even to give it to some young upstart girl to be captained by...Yasac after his deep thought came back to his senses.

Yasac then announced, "Well, Miss Scarlet, then I have the remedy to your problem. I would gladly join your cause."

That night Yasac, Scarlet, and Chives snuck onto the dock. The area carried the stench of rot and fish. Yasac led them to the brilliant ship, a heavily modified brig with eight cannons on the cannon deck and six on the main deck's gunwales each side. It sported three decks; the open air top deck with upraised helm and bow much like a frigate, the cannon deck with eight cannons in the center and crew quarters on the same deck in the aft, and then the lower deck that made up the ship's hold. The craft was obviously built for speed; the sails were brand new and sported a smooth cedar hull and mast. It carried a single main mast with a secondary and third extending from the helm and forecastle, much like a frigate with its squared sails but the size of the ship said otherwise. The bow boasted a roughly carven dragon as its figurehead.

The night was dark as the three approached the ship, for the clouds hid all moonlight.

"Blamey Yasac, that! Was your old ship? And your goona just give it to us?" Chives said trying to contain his surprise under his whisper.

"You bet, captain or not, I don't mind really, it would be a nice change to not have to be shoutin orders as I'm not exactly the loud type. And you can have the wheel as well." Yasac replied softly as the three snuck up to the side of the ship.

Yasac then, with an impressive leap, bounded up the side of the ship, all the way to a closed cannon hole. Yasac grasped the hole, and with expert balance brought his feet into what was left in the opening of the hole and leaped once more all the way up onto the deck of the ship. Scarlet and Chives could scarcely believe it. The man just got onto the ship with-out ladder and rope!

Yasac silently let down a rope to allow his new-found friends aboard. Yasac headed for the captain's quarters while Scarlet went below deck to clean out any filth. Meanwhile Chives snuck behind any sailors on the top deck and one by one knocked them all out with his trusty blackjack.

Yasac snuck into the captain's quarters, and without a sound unsheathed one of his sabers. The ship's captain stood studying some maps. Yasac crept up behind the captain and put a blade to his neck.

"I was wondering when you would find me, Mr. Yasac," the captain said slowly.

"I forgive a lot but betrayal, that's a tough one Mr. Arsono, my good crew man" Yasac shot back and proceeded to spit on the floor.  

"You didn't care about the crew at all Yasac and you know it, hell you didn't even follow your orders even when they come from Spanish royalty. Arsono responded.

"Shut up you're the crew member who left them all behind while you took over my position I know not one of them is on this ship."

"Don't act all high and mighty I've seen you, you aren't stable and you surely are less trustworthy than even me. You led us on the wild hen chase like we were dogs. And then you canned Loki..."

"I said shut up!" Yasac roared and violently bashed Arsono with the butt of his sword in the side of Arsono's head.

Yasac then grabbed the dizzied captain by the back of his white captain's tunic, and forcefully marched Arsono out of the cabin and pushed him on the deck.

"I was hoping you were still a gentleman," the captain said smoothly, while rubbing his head.

"I'm no gentleman, but I'm also not an executioner," Yasac replied.

Yasac grimly pulled out his other saber, and thrust it down into the deck in front of the captain. Yasac then backed away, and pointed his saber at the captain.

"I see your still pretty sportsman like..." Arsono said sarcastically knowing Yasac was best known for his swordsmanship.

"Then I'll only use counter attacks git, since you seem to be whining so much, if you manage to break my defense once I will not kill you." Yasac replies

          "I never liked you," Arsono shot back as he quickly rose to his feet.

Arsono, without a second thought, pulled the sword out of the rough floor board and quickly sliced at Yasac's feet. Yasac jumped forward in the nick of time, shortly landing on the captain's head. As Yasac pushed off hard, he kicked the captain to the floor and landed up behind the wheel of the ship. Arsono, insulted, barely had time to admire Yasac's once again incredible leap. The captain jumped to his feet and ran up the stairs after him.

Meanwhile, Scarlet skipped below deck and walked into the crew's quarters with her long oak wood staff that was painted with thin blue stripes about it. She let out a loud piercing laugh, waking them all. Sending them rushing out of each door in the crew quarters. After such a rude awakening, all were quite angry indeed and charged at the intruder Scarlet. She smiled; she then proceeded to incredibly beat down all the silly sleepy fools.

Chives, hearing the noise, ran down below deck yelling to Scarlet,

"Eh, captain! Are you in need of help!?" Chives found Scarlet among the pile of bodies. "Uh...throwing these fine gentlemen overboard..." Chives sighed.

Yasac continued to parry, fending off the captain's unceasing attacks. Arsono knew he must not allow Yasac to counter, for Yasac was indeed well known as a great swordsman, but up against Yasac's blade for the first time Arsono never thought Yasac would be even more skilled than Arsono imagined. Yasac parried and gave the captain a few swings when he could. The captain continued to rain down blow after blow.  Suddenly, he gave Yasac a swift kick in the gut, causing him to keel over, but more importantly making him drop his sword. The captain stood over him and raised his sword to drop a final blow on Yasac. That is the moment when Yasac flicked his wrists.  From his long overcoat sleeves fell two new shining short blades as if out of nowhere. Yasac sliced upwards with both blades like a scissors. Yasac continued his momentum into the air with the captain's sword caught between Yasac's. While flipping in the air, Yasac suddenly released the blade and in the blink of an eye whilst upside down over the captain's head, scissored off the captain's hand, and then landed behind the captain. Yasac smiled and spun around and kicked him square in the face. The captain, holding his bleeding stump, stumbled to the bulwark railings of the ship.

"You cheated! You said you wouldn't kill me if I broke your defense!" the captain yelled.

"I warned you. I'm no gentleman and as right now, I believe I am a pirate. Too bad for you. Oh and you never did brake my defense, my new allies just immerged from the hull and this fight was boring me, your attacks are so slow I could have cut you three times for every one of your attacks. And sorry to disappoint I have a bad habit of showing mercy, oh you dropped this."

Yasac removed Arsono's hand from the saber Yasac lent him, Yasac then threw the severed hand at Arsono's head. The captain stumbled back trying to keep hold of his hand, but he fell over the bulwarks and into the sea with a loud cry, as the loss of blood made him weak. Yasac quickly placed his short blades back into his coat sleeves and picked up his own saber and the one formerly held by the former captain. Yasac then assisted Scarlet and Chives in preparing the Brig for sail.

However, the moon had soon come out from behind the clouds and the Spaniards on the shore, who had already been curious about the noise on the ship, heard the captain fall into the water. Upon investigating the ship, Navy soldiers quickly assembled and rushed out of the town onto the ship to retake it.

Without saying a word, Yasac unsheathed both of his sabers one in each hand. Yasac rushed to meet the invaders, as they drew a plank to the side of the ship. Scarlet and Chives prepared for their attackers but they were vastly outnumbered. As soon as the first few soldiers bounded up the plank onto the ship, Yasac was suddenly upon them. His arms flew all over, slicing at one while thrusting at another, chopping here slicing there and kicking there again and then all over again and again. Lightning fast Yasac swarmed through them all, continuing all the way down the plank, leaving nothing standing in his wake, which ironically should really be what the crowd of sailors should have been doing. As swarm usually implies many, like a swarm of bees, but honestly Yasac had that effect by himself...  Oh! Yes, the story...

Chives and Scarlet watched in awe as Yasac pushed the entire crowd back away from the plank in fear and from your average loss of ability to stand. As Yasac ceaselessly fought he made such little noise, like a deadly wind the only sound he made was his breathing. But every time he breathed another man fell and suddenly he was upon the next one.  And from that time on Yasac was dubbed "Yasac, the Crazy Armed" or "Crazy Armed Yasac." Scarlet and Chives had differing views on the subject of "what sounded better" so they couldn't quite decide.

The invading sailors soon all broke away as they feared Yasac was some kind of apparition. Many even forgetting most of their comrades on the ground or in the water, which now that the chaos had ended, many of the men appeared to still be living.

"Scarlet we need to go! Most of those sailors weren't even armed trust me, I won't really look as impressive against a firing squad!" Yasac shouted from the pier.

"Too late! Yasac get back up here!" Chives shouted as he loaded his rife.

Sure enough a large number of heavily armed Spanish soldiers were advancing on the dock. Scarlet jumped to take the wheel and Chives let down the sails, while Yasac rushed back up the plank and chopped it in half. Yasac then proceeded to cut the ropes and lift the anchor using a crank that ingeniously had many pulleys on it allowing a single man to accomplish such a feat.

They had only started away from the docks, when a nearby, worn looking brig left the dock right after them. Almost immediately the ship fired on them, thankfully missing, being rushed and all. Chives then took up his worn but sturdy double barreled musket and amazingly, with his one eye, shot the cannoners on the other ship with unprecedented aim.  The enemy ship fired once more, but their cannon fire was reduced due to the wondrous Chives.

A cannonball whizzed right above Scarlet's head, causing her hair to come loose and fly madly around, but strangely it seemed as if Scarlet hadn't even noticed. Scarlet had her eyes fixed on the horizon. A ship of her own finally meant freedom. For so long she had known such a hard life; imprisoned in a house doomed to be subservient to the fat nobles who lived off such people as her family.

"Yes, sea on my face, wheel in my grasp, sun in the distance and tomorrow never knows. Yes, this is what I have been searching for," she thought to herself, yet it showed in her countenance.  

Yasac rushed to help Chives ready the cannon. A sloop left the dock following the first ship. Chives saw the second approaching with great speed. It was smaller, a sloop smaller than their own brig of war. The second ship was almost all the way around the worn enemy brig, so Chives carefully aimed the cannon at the sloop's unstable looking mast, knowing that Scarlet didn't have much ability to turn this ship for him. He could not miss; failure was not in this man's vocabulary.

"Scarlet keep her steady if you please," Chives shouted.

Chives carefully watched as the smaller sloop rounded the brig. He held his hand above the cannon with flame in hand.  He quietly counted to himself.  It had to be one shot... five, four... Chives eye went wide...three,

"Hell with you blooters!"

Chives jammed the flame stick into the ignition. The cannon fired and rocketed through the air. The ball roared through air to the sloop.  It soared through a loop in a sail net and smashed right into the mast, scoring a direct hit. But what's more, Chives' careful planning and timing caused the sloop mast to fall onto the brig.  From then on that night, they then sailed out of the port without aggression.

"Aha! We did it! Chives! Yasac! We did it! There must have been nearly fifty Spaniards trying to take our ship! Then Crazy Armed Yasac makes ‘em run, pants fulla piss. Then two! Two! Spanish ships stopped dead in their tracks with one shot! Aha! I didn't think we could really make it." Scarlet exclaimed full of many emotions, tears in her eyes.

"Aww, com'on Cap'in.   You trying to say you were doubting us?" Chives shouted from atop the sails.

"Hmm... well, if you put it that way, mate... I guess I'll just have to expect you both to be able to accomplish such feats all the time." Scarlet said playfully. "So quiet, Yasac! Aren't you the least bit excited?" Scarlet shouted to Yasac who was leaning back on the starboard bulwarks.

Scarlet let go of the wheel to run over and shake him. Yasac was stunned by this, unsure what to do. Yasac retained his calm emotionless face.

"Hey! Yasac! That is forbidden! Smile, damn you! Oh no hard feelings about me being the new captain of your ship right?" Scarlet shouted happily.

Yasac was still more confused. He had never seen such enthusiasm, from a captain much less. Yasac finally gave in and beamed a fine smile.

"No really it's fine I wasn't particularly attached to the ship. You can keep the wheel too, you seem to enjoy it, just tell me where you want to go...if I know anything about ships its maps."

"Good. Because I absolutely love it, and probably wouldn't have given it back. And seeing that you're so willing to be my mapper you can be the navigator!" Scarlet shouted, as she returned to her wheel as the ship began to stray.

Yasac couldn't help but laugh now.  He hadn't felt so welcomed and jovial in such awhile. Although his laugher was still soft.

Scarlet sighed, "I think you're going to have to work on that, Mr. Yasac. Unless you have more nerve and hardiness than an ugly one-eyed Scotsman who really doesn't like anyone, then you better start smiling more." Scarlet shouted.

"Ugly! Was that directed at me?" Chives yelled. Scarlet only laughed.

"Ya know what this ship needs?" Not waiting for an answer Scarlet continued. "This ship needs a new name. I spotted her name on the side of the hull. ‘The Boston Fall' you called her! Boston? I'll be captaining no colonial season, thank you very much! Yasac I am sorry but this ship needs a new one, gimme a name!"

Yasac, surprised once more at Scarlet, pushed up his glasses and fumbled over his words. "Uh, well, how about tomorrow? I'm kind of tired and it's not really that bad of a name, hey! Have even been to the colonies?" 

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow! El Mañana! Excellent idea! We shall sail tomorrow onto tomorrow until tomorrow and tomorrow again. I have never seen tomorrow as when I think I have reached tomorrow, I have only found today! But with this ship I shall see tomorrow," Scarlet recited poetically.

The three agreed on the new name for the ship: The Mañana. But as many a sailor knows, to rename a ship brings some of the worst luck to sailors. Much less with a woman on board, even more so as a captain. Even more so having only three people to crew her...and the former captain being forced off the ship and the former captain apparently having a shady reputation. In fact it doesn't really seem like a wise choice at all. What were we thinking? Err they.

Next Chapter >

Keyword: Legend of Maņana

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Posted by Kanarf 2008-08-21 19:04:04 .... Much improved since the last time I read this chapter. I especially liked the intro, and the eunuch/unique joke was hysterical. I found the end of the chapter to be particularly powerful for some reason, it gave me the sense that something awesome was about to happen just a few minor complaints: I spied some present tense near the begging (The man replies with a soft voice.)and you know how much I hate that. also there was a redundant sentence in the middle ('Yasac had few other skills other than war' should be 'Yasac had few skills other than war') more present tense about 3/4 of the way through: 'Yasac then slices upwards' and closer to the end: '"Too late! Yasac get back up here!" Chives shouts as he loads his rife. ' and '"Scarlet keep her steady if you please," Chives shouts. ' + Report this comment

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