(continued from Ch 5, Pirates)

The Chronicles of Rapina
Chapter 6, Pirates In Training 

The same tall muscular man that had escorted the boys away earlier came up to Jack now. "There's been no sign of pursuit and the men seem to be in high spirits." He said matter-of-factly. 

"Good. Good. Roger I'd like you to meet Rapina. She'll be joining our crew. It's been too long since we had such a pretty face in our midst. I want you to teach her how to read the charts and the stars, how to steer like a pilot and sail like a seaman. Make sure the men behave around her. I'd hate to feed 'em to the elf when we get back." A vicious smile crept onto his face. 

Roger looked at Rapina evenly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Rapina. The name's Roger. I'm the first mate. If you'll follow me I'll show you the charts." He motioned toward the bow of the ship and walked off. He had a very stoic manner and was polite without being personable. 

"Pleased to meet you too Roger and thank you." Rapina followed Roger, noting that he was not a very enthusiastic sort though at least he did not outwardly show that he thought Rapina had just slept her way into navigation training. Whether his stoic manner hid that conclusion or not, Rapina suspected that it very easily could. She decided that, now that she was an outlaw, she would no longer fake having, "the weak mind of a woman," so as not to create friction with stupid people who believed such things. She would take things in just as fast as she could. 

Rapina had taken little more energy from the captain than he had naturally given her, but Red Jack had brought her to her peak so many times Rapina had lost count. She had not tried to touch his mind with suggestions at all during her orgasms. Though some of her joy had probably leaked by her pleasure-loosened will and touched him without her direction. Much of the energy was currently bouncing around in her head. To say she felt stimulated was an understatement. Her whole body tingled and she could not stop smiling. She felt so good. When she arrived where the charts were kept, Kent was already there as were a few young men Rapina did not know. Rapina nodded to Kent and Drake and smiled. 

"This is where we keep the current charts, at least when the weather's fair," Roger said. "Now before you can be a navigator or understand what's written here, you've got to know how to read, and you've got to understand what you're reading. Those of you who can't read, you can still be a sailor, but you'll not be a navigator until you have letters. That takes too long to teach, so don't expect me to do it. Sailing's as important as rowing, so whether you can read or not, if you're lean and agile, and have a quick mind you're in the right place.

I've got a list of terms we commonly use on the ship, and one day you are going to know all 200 of them or be lost without them. I'll read them and explain them once, and then you'll have some time to try to learn them. After that I'm going see how many of them each of you can remember and if you know what they mean. Meanwhile the rest of you will work on learning your knots from Sack. Tomorrow, we will go over them again. One day you'll know them all. Roger went through a long list from A to Z and then let the trainees have some time to study and ask questions. 

Rapina threw herself into her work but the best she could do was to get a long enough look at the list to read it once, there were so many boys in the way. After about half an hour Roger called her over to see what she knew. 

Roger led Rapina on a walk around the ship. "Can you remember any of the terms off the top of your head? 

Rapina nodded and recited the list back to Roger from A to Z: "Abeam, ahead, amidships...port, port tack,...wind shadow, windward, wing and wing. Those are the ones I remember." 

"You forgot three," Roger observed stoically. "Now can you tell me what they all mean? " 

As they walked, Roger asked Rapina the meaning of each term. She had a little trouble on one or two, but not a lot. Towards the stern of the longship, Rapina spotted Edgar passed out on the planking next to one of the rowing benches. She slowed to step over him and looked at Roger inquiringly 

"Oarmaster Pike, What happened to the boy?" 

"'e's a hothead, got disagreeable on me. This time I gave 'im a warnin' punch. Next time he's goin' on a date wif Froggy, har-heh-har-har." 

Roger nodded and walked on. "What sort of guy is Edgar." 

"Blood thirsty," Rapina reacted. "He's not nice. He will probably be a problem, but I think he's a natural born killer." 

"Well then, maybe we can find a use for him after all. Now back to work, what does it mean to jibe? 

"That's when you go from one tack to the other when sailing with the wind coming over the stern." Roger pointed out important areas of the ship as they passed them and kept giving her new words from the list to define. She kept defining them until at last they finished the list. 

"You got, 198 of them. Was your father a fisherman?" 


"No sir, but Kent and the boys used some of those words, and Kent and I figured out how to sail the little boat, though we are no experts. Most of the words I learned just now from your list. 

Roger nodded, betraying no emotion, as usual. 

They arrived back near the ship's bow shortly after Rapina finished the list. Roger took the next student and left Rapina and the other trainees to continue to learn and practice knots with Sak. 

After quite a while, Roger finished with his testing and addressed the pirate trainees. "That's all the word training for now. Most of you now have an idea of just how much there is to learn. People, at least most people, don't learn two hundred words in a day. You're going to have to work hard. If you thought being a pirate was going to be easy, you were wrong. 

There's a lot of work to be done aboard any ship, and this one's no exception. You're going to be given to a more experienced crewman, and for the rest of the day you will be getting work done. Since the work needs to get done right, we are going to try to match you with a job you already have some skills at. Once you are good at that job, we may find you another, or we may leave you at it. Raise up your hand if you have any experience at all in the areas I mention: Astronomy, blacksmithing or grinding and sharpening, bowyering-fletching carpentry, cleaning, cleaning fish, cooking, fishing and net-mending, rowing, rope splicing, sewing, swimming and diving, signaling, mathematics." Roger wrote down the skills of each trainee as they raised their hands. 

Rapina raised her hand for cleaning, cleaning fish, cooking and sewing, none of which she particularly liked, and also mathematics and swimming. 

Drake's hand went up for grinding and sharpening, carpentry, fishing, rowing, rope-splicing, swimming and diving. He did not look too thrilled at his current situation. Apparently being a pirate was not as much fun as he had thought. 

Kent looked considerably more content than Drake. He eagerly raised his hand for cleaning fish, cooking, fishing, net-mending, rope-splicing, signaling, astronomy, and mathematics. 

Before Roger assigned each trainee to a crewman he spoke. "We don't have a lot of room on this ship to train you right in all of the things I talked about, but you will be given hands-on training when possible. You will observe an experienced crewman before you are allowed to try your hand at it. The reason is simple; a pirate's ship is his castle. If you mistreat it in any way we'll kill you." There was no hint of humor on Roger's face at all. "You've got two choices here. Be a pirate or die. What'll it be?" Apparently everyone wanted to be a pirate. A few crewman escorted the trainees away. Moments later they were being instructed in the ways of sailing. 

"Rapina, you'll be helping Piggy, the cook, a little closer to dinner time. Since you can read, you and Kent will be getting some additional training until then concerning the charts." Roger stated. 

"I've never seen a ship run so efficiently!" Kent gasped. Roger just looked at him. There was something about his emotionless gaze that unnerved Kent. 

"You'd do well to learn by their example, boy. Jack is an unforgiving captain. Do your job well and you will not have a problem with him...or me. Fail to pull your weight and we'll dump your carcass overboard." Roger retorted. "Now follow me to the captain's quarters and we'll get to studying the charts." 

A voice floated down from up the mast. "Rocks to port! Rocks to port!" 

Roger walked swiftly to the portside of the ship and looked out into the water. Sure enough there was a clump of rocks ahead and to port. The ship would hit the rocks and most likely sink if they didn't turn quickly. "Hard to Starboard! Hard to Starboard!" Roger ordered. The ship turned smoothly and safely avoided the rocks. 

Roger joined Rapina and Kent and motioned towards the captain's quarters. "I hope neither of you are afraid of heights, because if you are too bad. Everyone takes a turn at lookout, even me." he said. 

The three spent the remainder of the afternoon and all of the early evening studying navigational charts. They learned the difference between latitude and longitude and how to use them to plot a course. They learned how to read a map key, and how to use a few navigational tools. 

Rapina and Kent listened as the first officer went over a list of navigational terms. "Steady means maintain heading and speed. Full ahead means maintain heading and increase speed to fastest possible. Bear port means turn left, Hard port means turn as sharply to the left immediately. The same terms apply to the Starboard of the ship, which is the right. Bear starboard and hard starboard. Full astern means back up as fast as possible. All rest means to stop, and hull strikes means fire at the enemies hull." 

Some of the terms were repeats from the earlier ones that she had learned with the sailors. Rapina had little difficulty with any of them. She found the charts and information on astronomy interesting. She could see that the pirate ship could be a prison in some ways but she also saw it as an opportunity to learn things that no on in normal society would ever teach her. 

Evening came and Rapina was ushered off to help Piggy, the cook, prepare the meal. Piggy was a heavyset middle-aged balding man with bushy grey eyebrows and a pinched face. He didn't say a word to Rapina. Instead, he pointed or demonstrated what he wanted done. Eventually Rapina realized that he had no tongue. Later she learned Piggy had mouthed off to Jack once and paid for it. 

After dinner many of the men were able to loaf and see to personal chores in the last few light hours of the evening, Rapina and Kent were obliged to do the dishes. Their extra training was coming right out of their personal time. The last rays of the sun were illuminating the horizon when Rapina finally got off work. Rapina looked around for a crewman who's name she knew. Excuse me, oarmaster Pike, How do I take a bath around here? 

Ye either do it in the river in the dark with the men after we weigh anchor each night, or ye get the wash tub and do it on deck. I might be able to score ye some soap, if ye're willing ta let me rub it on ya," Pike grinned. 

Rapina considered a moment. "If you'll toss keeping the mongrel hordes back while I bathe into the bargain, then it's a deal." 

"Sure, I can keep 'em back save for the few officers that out-rank me. I can't put any guarantees on them, but I'd be willin' ta keep the rest out o' the way." 

"Okay, then it's a deal." Rapina extended her hand. 

Pike grinned and shook Rapina's hand. "Head fer the stern. I'll be with ye in a moment." 

Rapina had been given a sea chest under one of the rowing benches not far from the captain's quarters rear of the center of the ship. She fetched the long shirt she still had from Drake and returned to the stern. Soon pike came wearing a lusty grin and a wash tub, and carrying a tea kettle. 

"Got ye some hot water and some soap too heh-heh. I'm hopin' to earn me a bonus." Pike winked. Pike set down the kettle and lowered the tub into the river to fill it. 

Rapina smirked at Pike's comment. "First lets do my hair and clothes." 

"Clothes? That's going ta be extra," Pike winked. 

Rapina took off the baggy drawstring pants and then undid her bustier. 

Pike sat down on a rowing bench and handed her the soap. "Ahh, what a view. Wish the light was better," Pike chuckled. 

A small crowd gathered about five feet away from the proceedings, but three burly oarsman kept anyone from coming any closer than that. In so doing they were guaranteed ring-side seats. 

Rapina felt like a circus attraction, but she really needed to clean up. A crewman found a torch, lit it and gained new popularity as Rapina finished washing her bustier and pants. 

"Hand those here and I'll get them hung out to dry," Pike said.

Rapina handed her clothing over. 

"Milo, see that those get hung on a line." 

About a quarter of the crew gathered near the stern to watch Rapina bathe and the rest were none too happy they had been unable to see anything from behind the first few ranks of men. 

With many of the men gathered astern watching oarmaster Pike bathe Rapina, the area around the captain's quarters was rather quiet. Within, Roger reported his observations about various new recruits to captain Red Jack. 

"Edgar's the runt of the litter. He hasn't learned to mind. He may never, but I hear he's bloodthirsty. My recommendation is that we give him a little weapons training and set him loose on our next raid. If he lives through it, then maybe he will be worth something to us." 

"'An if he don't live we'll be rid of 'im. I like it. What of the others?" 

"Drake's athletic, charismatic and not too stupid," Roger said. "He'll make a good sailor, oarsman and raider. Tim's lean, he'll be a decent sailor, but I wouldn't count on him in a raid. Jake's like Drake without the charisma. As for Kent, I can picture him as a future officer in any navy. He's intelligent, interested in sailing and navigation and the best of the bunch in my opinion, sir." 

"What about the girl, Rapina?" 

Roger scratched his head. "She... well sir, she scares the pants off me." 

"Why?" asked Jack. 

"You know that thing I do the first day when I give the trainees 200 nautical terms. I go over them once, and then they get a few minutes to look at the list, but most of them could not read it to save their souls anyway." 

Jack nodded 

Roger continued. "Most of them can remember ten or fifteen terms plus a few of the more common ones. Maybe they can tell you what 20 or 25 of 'em mean. If I can teach them five or ten new ones a day, they are all set in a month. Rapina, she got a look at the list maybe enough to read it, maybe not. There were plenty of strong boys who wanted to see the words shouldering in ahead of her, and asking questions." 

"Didn't she do very well?" Jack asked. 

"Sir, that whole exercise was to show the trainees how much there was to learn, but, well sir, she remembered 197 of the words, and recited them to me in order. And when given the word to start with, she could define 198 of them. It was spooky sir, and she doesn't get it. I told her she missed three and the look on her face was easy to read. She was thinking she really should have paid closer attention." 

"There's something not quite human about her, sir. I just can't place her. When I think of Kent, I can picture him as a ship's officer. With Rapina, I just can't picture her. I tried a whole lot of professions, and could not place her for the longest time, until..." 

"Until What?" Jack asked.

"You know those wizard's, not the fortune tellers in the gaudy costumes, but _real_ wizards." 

"Ya mean the rare ones who can make balls o' fire come from nowhere and torch a ship in a eye-blink?" 

"Yes sir, that's precisely what I mean. If I met one of those wizards, Rapina would not be out of place as the wizard's apprentice. The uncanny intellect, the flawless beauty, the taint of magic, everything, it all fits, sir." 


"She told me her Aunt was some sort of witch, I guess she wasn't liein'." 

"Yes sir." 

"Do you think she's a danger to my ship?" 

"Hard to say, sir. I don't think she bears us ill will. She seems to enjoy learning, but at the rate she learns, sir, we're all going to run out of things to teach her in short order." 

Under ordinary circumstances, Red Jack dealt swiftly and ruthlessly with any possible threat to his ship or his sovereignty over his ship, but the circumstances were not ordinary. Jack had already slept with Rapina, and he had a weakness for beautiful women. Getting in trouble for bedding a nobleman's wife was what had made him an outlaw and a pirate in the first place. Now that he had Rapina, he was unwilling to let her go. 

"I 'preciate your observations, Roger. She's a two-edged sword; she could be real good for us, or real bad. Ordinarily I don't like to gamble, but life's a whole lot 'o nothin' without a little joy, so in her case, I am going to take my chances. Keep an eye on 'er. If she's got magic, maybe we can use it, but if we're going to use it, we'd better understand it." 

Back near the Stern of the ship, Rapina had finished washing her clothes, and Pike had washed her hair, face and neck and was working on Rapina's full breasts. "No question about it, mates, roundest, fullest, firmest, pair I've had occasion to play with." 

"'zat a bulge in yer pants, I see oarmaster?" Froggy asked.

Rapina snuck a look. "Is that why they call you pike?" Rapina giggled. 

"That'd be it." 

The crewmen had a good chuckle. 

Rapina had never been one to make a spectacle of herself, but she needed to take a bath sometime, and the lust being aimed at her was making her tingle pleasantly. Her nipples stood out with excitement as Pike washed her chest. Rapina grinned, "Pike, I think they're clean a few times over." 

"Heh-heh, just think of it as part 'o my bonus," the oarmaster winked. Pike soaped Rapina, back and front, down to her waist, then poured water over her chest and back. "'ave a seat on the end of the bench there and I'll do yer feet." Pike washed Rapina's feet, then her legs. He spent some extra time caressing her thighs. "I won't even try to describe it mates, soft as silk and twice the spice," Pike grinned. "Okay, stand up there are we'll get the last bit of ye." 

Rapina stood and pike turned her around with his soapy hands. Pike soaped up Rapina's high, beautifully rounded rump, then gave it a slap. 

"Oooowch, hey that wasn't scrubbing," Rapina squealed.

Pike chuckled, "Quite an ass there, wouldn't ye say, boys? Pike soaped Rapina between the legs. "Now bend over and I'll rinse ye off. The oarmaster poured water over Rapina's bottom, finishing her body and giving the men quite a bit to look at. We got us the prettiest woman on the Augustana river, right here on the crew 'o Jack's longship, and clean as a whistle," Pike smiled as he toweled Rapina off. There ye go, girl. No sense you bein' as dirty as a bunch o' 'ol pirates. 

"Thank you oarmaster Pike." Rapina kissed Pike on the cheek. 

"My pleasure," Pike grinned. "Soap, mates, it's the best investment a man can make," Pike winked at the assembled crewmen as Rapina put on the oversized tunic shirt she had from Drake. "I got ta admit I liked what ye were wearing before lots better, Rapina, although this outfit shows off a good bit more leg. One 'o these days men, lets get together and pillage our wench some more o' that lacy lady's finery so she's got more to parade around in and drive us to distraction," heh-heh-heh. I'll bet one o' you sail-sewers could whip somethin' up for 'er till then, but if ye give it a try, make sure not to use too much fabric, heh-heh-heh." 

That night Captain Red Jack invited Rapina to his cabin and she got to read one of his books while he was finishing up his day's records. Later he made love to her and afterwards Rapina slept contentedly by his side. 

The next day went by rapidly. Rapina spent most of the time in training or working for Piggy, the cook. She got to climb the rigging, tug on lines and tie knots. One thing she realized, she was more flexible and as dexterous as any of the boys, but pretty much every one of them was stronger than she was. 

Life as a pirate hadn't been living up to Edgar's expectations. He had been knocked unconscious the day before for mouthing off. He glared at everything that moved as he scrubbed the deck. He would make them pay for the humiliation he suffered at their hands. The same pirate that had knocked him out the day before walked by and spat on the deck in front of Edgar. "Ya missed a spot lad! Ha!" he guffawed. Edgar fought the urge to pound his face in. He had no desire to repeat the events of the day before. A voice reached his ears. He looked up and saw Kent conversing with the first mate. "Figures," he thought "Kent becomes Red Jack's lackey-boy and that bitch gets free run of the ship because she has great tits and a firm ass. Life just isn't fair!" Edgar scanned the deck to see what Drake was doing. He saw him hoisting the main sail. 

The wind was picking up. Drake would not even have noticed the subtle changes in the air before, but now that he knew what to look for there was no mistaking it. He had to get the sail up soon or else the wind would be too strong and he would have to fight to hoist the sail too much. Drake knew that hoisting sails and checking rigging was a waste of his talents. He also knew that Red Jack had something bigger and better in mind for him. He had heard him talking to Roger the night before. They had mentioned something about him having potential and the qualities of a leader. Soon they would be having him learn every aspect of the ship so that he could better understand how to command it one day. Drake wondered why they would want to train him to be a captain. They already had enough people to run the ship under Jack's command. Maybe Jack was getting ready to expand. Maybe one of the existing pilots had crossed Jack. Either way Drake knew that he had to do his best no matter what the task. He had no desire to become shark food. 

Pike seemed only too eager to wash Rapina again the next evening, so she remained quite clean and was rapidly becoming something of a celebrity aboard the longship. On this particular evening, the captain did not invite Rapina to his quarters so she was obliged to bed down like any crewman. Rapina had been given a sea chest and bedroll stored under one of the rowing benches aft of the main mast. Rapina bedded down and slept rather lightly until someone squeezed her foot. It was oarmaster Pike. He had whispered in her ear while soaping her thighs that if the captain did not call for her, he would wake early for his watch and would squeeze her foot on the way by if she cared to dally. She crept towards the Stern of the ship soon after the signal. 

Pike whispered to her and guided her to a rush mat he had put down. There he caressed her body much as he had while washing it, but with even greater heat. He lingered long moments over the full majesty of her breasts, kissing them passionately and making her nipples swell and blush red with arousal. His lust made Rapina's senses and her loins tingle with anticipation and before long she was wet and eager for him. 

She found the object of her desire, freed it and plunged its throbbing immensity into her hungry warmth. At first, the shear size of him scared her even as it aroused her, but there were only a few moments of pain and trepidation as he thrust in his entirety to stretch her to her limits. Then Rapina's body seemed to warm to its task, gradually she made the accommodation, transforming pain to pleasure and trepidation to lust. After a time, she wetly thrust her hips in answer to the pikeman's charge. Many exquisite moments of ecstasy passed, then Rapina's mind blazed with pleasure. Before the wave of bliss had fully passed from her mind, her body supped at the delicious fountaining flood of the oarmaster's energy. 

Rapina slept deeply that night, the modest portion of oarmaster's energy she had drawn more than made up for the time her tryst with him had taken away from her night's rest. 

The next day Captain Red Jack guided his ship briskly down the river until lunchtime, then he dallied, letting the men teach more sailing technique to the new recruits in the widened area of the river they had reached. 

In the late afternoon, the captain again sent the ship briskly down the river, and as the late afternoon shadows lengthened, the longship quietly sailed into a marsh teaming with cypress trees. The captain himself guided the ship through the marsh where one slip could have grounded the vessel. Within the marsh, the channel deepened and the ship sailed into a hidden lake fed by many channels. That evening Rapina and the other new recruits stepped onto Red Jack's isle, and had their first taste of life at a pirate camp. Rumor had it that it was here that Red Jack's recruits would train to fight like true pirates.
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This ends Pirates in Training, Chapter 6 of The Chronicles of Rapina.
The story continues in, Chapter 7, Red Jack's Isle.

Copyright 2001 by Rapina