A Pirates Cove.

Tarka:

The antorpamofic giraffe waved in parting as Dasher followed his mom out of 
the Toys 'R Us with two packs of the latest release of his favorate game. 
Pirates, the power of steam. His little ringged tail twitched behind him in 
excitement wondering what ships he would get with this new set of cards. They 
headed for the unitran dock through the lawn in front of Toys R' Us, it must 
have been an older store that once had a parking lot. Dasher had seen them in 
pictures. "Hey mom. Can I go over to micky's to play pirates?"
 
The old coon mom rolled her eyes. The question was not at all unexpected. 
"Have you finished your homework Dasher?"
 
"Yes mom. I did it before we came here." He was used to the question and knew 
he wouldn't get to play pirates if he didn't have it done. Didn't she know 
that? Gah!
 
"Yes. You can go over to Micky's and play pirates. Be home by 9 though." They 
reached the dock together and she keyed in her transport code as well as her 
sons, then spoke to the tran. "Home please."
 
Dasher spoke up. "Micky's house."
 
A momment later two slidders arrived at the dock. Dasher's mom slid into the 
seat of one. "You have a good time Dash!" Dasher jumpped into the other.
 
The Unitran system made short work of the commands and sped the two kin along 
their way. It was true mass transit for the masses. Small slidders that could 
take two or four people anywhere on what was once the old road system. With 
enough smarts to work out just there 'home' was for any one person.
 
Dasher arrived at Micky's house 10 minutes later. He was already talking with 
Micky on the phone. "I just got here, yes yes... I haven't opened them yet. I 
will be there in a momment." He hopped out of the slidder and ran too the 
door over an old cracked but now unused driveway. Micky met him at the door.
 
"Claud and Brenda are already here." said Micky. Brisk as allways for a 
badger. The dull black fured face of Claud looked over one of Micky's 
shoulders and the furless face of Brenda towered above.
 
The four of them settled at the kitchen table as each pulled out their 
pirates collection from boxes. Breada looked over. "You can barrow some of 
mine to fill out your fleet for this game sense you don't got your set here." 
She smiled and went back to building out her fleet. Dasher always found it 
unnerving the way humans smiled. All teeth and fangs... even if really short 
ones.
 
"Thanks Brenda! I will tell you what I need in a momment." Dasher lovingly 
opened up his two new packs to see what was inside. He checked the contents 
of the first... an Anjax and Lord TwinMast. He already had a TwinMast. and 
the Ajax wasn't all that good. He poped open the other pack and then his eye 
spotted gleeming gold. "What the...." He pulled open the plastic and a ship 
he had never seen or even heard of fell into his paw. It was gold with only 
one name. "BlackHeart"
 
The gold card started to glow under Dasher's eyes to his shock... then it 
turned cold and he passed out.
 
Breada looked up when Dasher fell out of his chair and crashed to the floor. 
"Hey..." 
 
--
 
Dasher woke up in a dismal room, a single candle burnning overhead. The 
ugliest human face he had ever seen leaned over him. "Arrr. ye alright 
capt'in. We h'ng the blaggert up by 'is guts l'st night. Es not quite dead 
yet." The breath alone should have killed him. He couldn't feel his tail or 
leg... and everything seemed 'wrong' about himself. He lifted his paw, only 
to find a crusted ring covered human hand.
 
Portia:
 
Dasher thought to himself,"I am not in Levelar anymore. Where am I? I must be 
dreaming.."
 
Dasher says,"This is a nightmare." He stops,"This is not my voice." The voice 
was strangled and deep.
 
The room became clearer as Dasher's one good eye focused on the wooden walls. 
"What ya say there? Night'mare is it now?" A pirate of ill looks and fouler 
temper came face to face to Dasher, who almost passed out from the stench.
 
Terry:
 
The other pirate grabbed a misshapen lump of pewter with a handle and dipped 
it in a bucket, splashing foul, stinking water on Dasher's face. "Dammit 
cap'n, I know you live your grog, but so help me I'll mutiny if you keep 
drinking youself into a stupor after ev'ry battle! It's not becoming a pirate 
to weep over the poor saps that cross our path!"
 
"Now get out there and taunt him good and proper while he's still groaning in 
agony, or the crew'll have yer guts up on the yardarm next!"
 
Dasher groaned, and stumbled to his feet... his foot -- and stumbled was 
really the key word as he planted himself face-first into the hideous slimy 
mass that passed for a pirate's shirt. Grabbing onto what had to be his first 
mate's sides (for this creature was far too foul to be a cabin boy), he 
pulled himself up and steadied himself on his peg. "Aaaaarrrgh," he groaned.
 
"Arr, that's it. Put on yer pirate face, cap'n, and show 'em hell!"
 
Tarka:
 
Confused, Dasher decided to play around, as this must be a dream and he 
couldn't make himself wake up. He pulled himself out of bed and tried to 
steady himself on one leg and one wooden peg. "Alright Alright. I will take 
care of it. Spec me on the battle."
 
The grizzled old pirate shook his head. "ye be in worse shape then normal 
capn. Ta battle went well. Be moren 100 pieces of loot. We got a woman tell 
we hit shore. So the men arn ittcy if ye get mine drift.
 
Dasher nodded. A good raid... girls and bloodthirsty pirates. He passed out 
again and fell back into bed. The old pirate cursed and got another bucket of 
slimy water ready to wake the cap'n.
 
---
 
Bready, Claud and Micky were looking down at Dasher in the living room when 
he woke up. "Gar Blimmy!"
 
The kids backed away as their friend dashed started to curse loud and long. 
Nasty words the likes of witch they have never heard before.
 
"Be daft I will sting you up by the gizzard and leave yeer to to the gulls...
 
Terry
 
Brenda looked down at Dasher with some concern. "Are you okay? I don't think 
you should say those sort of things, they'll be flagged and the tapes sent to 
your mother!"
 
"Arrr, I be not Dasher, I be the dread pirate BlackHeart, scourge of six of 
the seventeen seas and at least five hundred bays, inlets, and other coastal 
locations!" The kids looked down in horror as he got to his feet, favoring 
one leg and with one hand curled into an immobile hook shape. He glowered at 
them, then laughed and pointed, "Ha ha ha, you should see the looks on your 
faces! Let them show her the tape, it doesn't matter! I got into the beta 
test!"
 
"No, really?!" Mickey said, awed, the other kids quickly showered Dasher with 
questions and pleas, and he spent the next few hours describing his experience-
 with the ultra-realistic virtua-pirate technology.... "And when the 
mutineers threw me over the side, I thought I was really going to drown! But 
a GM showed up and saved me at the last second."