Building Utopia Ch. 11

When the Captain of the British ship was brought onto the Bridge he began walking toward Emma when he saw the 4 broad gold stripes of a Captain on her sleeves. She turned to him and he stopped in shock when he saw she was female. Emma smiled and turned to the older man beside her. She said, "Captain, I am Captain Emma Baker Smith of the North American Union Navy. This is my step father, King Roger the First of the NAU. Welcome to the good ship Endeavor, Fast Frigate 1 of the NAU Navy."

The defeated Captain swallowed twice then unbuckled his sword. He turned to Roger and presented it to him. "Your Majesty, may I present my sword as a token of my defeat and surrender?" He hesitated momentarily, returned to a position of attention and continued speaking. "What manner of ship is this," he asked. "It appears to be made entirely of metal. I see no sails yet it moves through the water faster than even the fastest racing yacht. And your cannon! You fired but two times and sank one of the newest and most powerful ships in His Majesties fleet."

Roger gravely took the Captains sword and said, "I will answer your questions in due time Captain. First, if you will give me your parole, and that of your men, and promise not to attempt to escape or harm my crew I will return your sword to you."

The English Captain looked at Roger in shock and gratitude then said, "I accept, Sire, with gratitude. I would like to discuss a ransom and repatriation as soon as possible also."

"I am sorry, Captain, but unless one of your ships comes calling that won't be possible for some time. This is the first in the line of new warships we are building and we are on our shakedown cruise right now. After our sea trials we plan to make a trip to England and deal with your King. We will take you, your crew, and any other Englishmen we have who want to return home at that time. I would like to negotiate a trade agreement and emigration agreements with your King as soon as possible."

Roger thought about running the other ship down then decided not to. Instead he instructed Emma to follow the escaping ship while he visited with the captured Captain. After passing those instructions Roger once again turned to the captured Captain and said, "Now Captain, please accompany me to my quarters so we can visit."

After they were seated in Roger's quarters and had refreshments Roger asked, "Now Captain tell me why you were with the ship that is trying to escape us and what it carries."

The Captain said, "She was an English merchantman captured by pirates. We recaptured her and put a prize crew aboard. There were barely enough aboard to operate the ship Sire. When you appeared I instructed her to escape if at all possible while I dealt with your ship. I know not what she carries in her holds except it appears to be plunder of some kind."

Roger debated capturing or sinking the ship but then decided he would not do so. There might be items of use aboard but the effort didn't seem worth it assuming the Captain was correct. Roger was sure the ship was a merchantman and he had seen poorly repaired damage so was inclined to accept the captured Captains story. Roger instructed Emma to shadow the ship the rest of the day.

They followed the escaping ship well out to sea. When Roger decided it was making for home he had Emma turn back toward America. They completed their planned shakedown cruise coming close to shore a time or two so the English Captain could look through Roger's binoculars and see some of the roads and improvements Roger and his people were building. The captain was surprised because he had been told America was only occupied by savages and was a wild land ripe for the taking. As they entered Savannah harbor they encountered one of the smaller patrol vessels as well as several smaller fishing and coastal freighters, most of which were still sail powered. Once again the Captain was in awe. Savannah was a small town by any standards but they were well on the way to building a nice Capitol building and other public buildings. They were working on government buildings, a University and, of course, warehouses near the docks. In addition to all the construction evident there were three Spanish merchant ships and one French merchantman at the docks taking on cargo.

A small building in the warehouse district was turned over to the captured sailors for use as a barracks. The manager's office was used as Captain's quarters. Strangely, the building turned over to the English was next to the port security building and barracks. The Captain was a frequent visitor in Roger's home. He became, if not a friend, a respected acquaintance.