2015 Solo Mission - At War Again by Continentaleye

[Continentaleye]

2015 SOLO CAMPAIGN – AT WAR AGAIN

Captain Thomas Barton of the HMS Zealous had used one of the rare periods of peace between England and France to his advantage. Unlike his peers who spent their time going home to family or making the rounds in society, he spent his establishing an intelligence network throughout the Caribbean. His spies, although none would want to be identified as such, came from all walks of life, from wealthy merchants and shop owners, to colonial administrators, to foreign agents, to seamen and ship captains. The person he was meeting that night at a rowdy seaside tavern outside of Kingston Jamaica was from the latter class.



“Your message indicated some matter of urgency,” Barton began. He was dressed in civilian clothes, the uniform of a King’s officer quite unwelcome in his current surroundings. “And you did not indicate you weren’t coming alone.”



“Sorry Cap’n,” the spy Barton knew only as Silas said “but I thought you might want to hear from the one who brought me the information, case you might have any questions or the like. This here’s Cap’n Galvin of the merchant schooner Guadalupe. Tell him what you seen Galvin.”

“We were a few days out of New Orleans headed south to Porto Bello when one of my officers took the fever. I wanted to get him off the ship before the sickness spread or the crew threw him overboard. There’s a village on Guanaja Island called Athens Mill where I’d stopped to water before and I knew there was a doctor there. As I began to make my way into Northeast Bight a Spanish cutter came out and refused us entry.”

“Northeast Bight, I heard of it before,” Barton said. “A good anchorage, secluded, easily defended. It’s rumored it was often used by pirates.”

“It still is,” Galvin continued. “Before we were driven away, I saw three ships in the bay, one of them was the Revanche Rouge.”

“Are you sure?” Barton asked excitedly.

“Saw it clear as day. But I think you’ll find this even more interesting. The other two were frigates – one of them was English, the Cleopatra. I’m sure of that too. One of my men had served aboard her during the last war before being cashiered out.” Barton’s head was spinning. The service thought the Cleopatra had gone down in a hurricane but it was quite plausible the Crimson Pirate had taken her.

“That scoundrel Frenchmen, the Crimson Pirate,” Barton muttered but was interrupted by a loud chuckle from Silas. “Something funny?” Barton was annoyed.

“Crimson Pirate my eye,” Silas said. “He’s not even a Frenchman. His real name is Burton Lancastor and he was born on New York Island. With the Spanish he calls himself Captain Vallo. During the American Rebellion he helped the Spanish when England plundered Omoa in 1779. That’s probably why the Spanish are protecting him in one of their harbors even though England and Spain aren’t at war – yet.” With that, Silas laid out two maps on the table. “I took the liberty of asking Cap’n Galvin to put the spot on the map.”