A Surprise Search
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Devin
Date Posted: 17th October 2009
Characters: Jerroll, Edele, Jemar
Description: Jerroll gets told about a surprise inspection and he suspects one of their own.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 5, day 8 of Turn 5
Notes: Silver Sails
"Sir!" Jemar rushed onto deck with grim expression. The captain was nowhere in sight so he made a beeline for the first mate. "Sir! We've got trouble!"
"What is it?" Jerroll was instantly alert.
"Guards!" The man turned to point back toward the dock. "On their way here! They're going to board!"
A string of very colorful words came out of Jerroll's mouth. "I'll get the Captain. We'll handle this." He raced below deck and found Lerra talking to one of the crew. "Guards are on their way to board the ship."
Lerra's cursing was even more colorful. Thankfully, most of the cargo they had was perfectly legitimate. The things that weren't would need to be stashed quickly. She rounded up the nearest crew members and they set to work.
Jerroll hurried back up the stairs. "How much time do you think we have?" he asked Jemar.
"A half hour at most. I heard them talking..." Jemar kept to Jerroll's heels, the strain in his voice betraying his worry. "We need to stash the goods..."
"Lerra's on it. We should have plenty of time. Grab a few more crewmen and make sure she has enough help." Jerroll wondered if this was a surprise inspection, or something worse. They would find out soon enough.
"Yes sir!" The man hurried to do as Jerroll bid - all of them would be in trouble should the goods be found and that was the last thing the sailor wanted. It was the last thing the Silver Sails needed!
When the guards arrived, Jerroll played Captain for them and gave them free reign of the ship. Every bit of cargo they saw was documented, and after a while the guards had to give up the search. The Silver Sails kept her secrets.
Jerroll watched the guards carefully as they left. They didn't board any of the other nearby ships. It wasn't an inspection, then. Something had given the guards reason to search the Silver Sails alone.
The goods had been stashed away just in time. The guards did their search, then gruffly moved away from the ship, leaving the crew to breathe a bit more easily - save for one member who was nowhere in sight.
***
It was some time after the guards left when Edele finally returned to the ship. She carried her basket over her arm, her visage bearing an air of distraction as she made her way up the gangplank.
"Hello." Jerroll walked up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You missed the excitement."
"Excitement?" Edele looked up, eyebrows raised though she offered a small smile and her hand caressed his arm in tenderness. "What happened? Did Garveit get drunk and start singing on the docks again?"
"Guards came by to search the ship," Jerroll told her in an even tone.
"What?" The cook paused, eyebrows rising. "Guards? Here? Why?"
"I've been wondering that myself. They only searched our ship, so they must have believed there was a reason to search us." He wished he didn't have suspicions about what might have brought the guards to the ship.
A frown creased Edele's brow and she resumed her trek down the stairs and into the galley. "I'm assuming they didn't find anything or you wouldn't be here."
"We had just enough time to make the ship presentable." He followed just behind her.
"Well that's fortunate!" Edele breathed a sigh of relief and set the basket she carried on the small table in the galley. Immediately, the kitten, Willow, jumped up and began to rub against Jerroll's arm. "Were they surveying all the ships?"
"No. Just us." Jerroll patted the kitten absently.
Edele paused to look at Jerroll again. "Why were they so suspicious?"
"That's a very good question." He kept petting the kitten and noted that Edele had taken Willow with her. That might not mean anything, but then again it might.
Edele shook her head. "Well, it's a good thing you were able to get everything squared away in time." She cast a glance toward the door. "Will we be setting out sooner than planned?"
"Lerra and I are discussing whether it would be better to leave now and risk increasing suspicion, or staying and risking another search."
Edele winced. "Sounds like a rock and a hard place either way."
"Yes, it is. The Captain will make the right decision." But would he?
Last updated on the October 18th 2009