Well that was a bust. 

Still when things get Weird you have to trust your Guide and Prophet.

There is a reason for me to be out here, and it doesn't involve drowning for more power.

I can't target a ghost walk, but maybe I'm the target.

One of the main ways these things work out is 'chance' meetings.

And its empty out here, nothing but room for some guests.

Jack Phillips

"Ahoy! Man overboard! Man overboard port bow!"

Not exactly a man, but throw me a line and I'll take it.

As I've said before, in the Case of the Oyster Catcher, and the 109 Shuffle I don't really understand how the translation effect works when I talk to ghosts. The details are unreliable, but my Dutch is atrocious, so I can't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hey everyone, Ace is alive again and she has actually been using her black box to record first person detective stories, not just like as a joke.

And before you bitch, I'm mind reading for the op, and yeah we want the ghost ship to be in play.

You're the one who put her onto the Dresden Files.

And when the building is on fire it's almost never her fault. Exo.

Also, any actual updates? I want to concentrate for this next bit.

About to board the Dutchman.

Hacks are going beautifully.

Back to it then, everyone.

"Heyo you zoned out for a bit.

You arrrrrr death's little sea queen aren't you?

Captain Noort said to check if you're ok."

"I'm fine, but please don't call me that."

"Don't worry this is a pirate ship. We don't discriminate.

But you are Grim's special little mate right?"

"Not quite how I would put it, but not technically incorrect."

"Welcome aboard then. Dry yourself off.

Any friend of the big man is a friend of ours."

Way to tell me you don't know him without telling me you don't know him.

Still I can think of a few innocent and plenty of exploitable reasons to want to know, ugh, 'death's special little mate'.

"Thanks, you were pretty fast getting here."

"We saw a beacon and we needed out anyway."

"What he means is that obviously we can't ignore a distress call. But also we had last surfaced to the mortal realm right near Persia and gunnery seems rather improved in this era." 

That would be an understatement. The Dutchman looked to be at least as old as the Batavia. 

Honestly, it was kinda cool to be on a real pirate ship instead of a museum ship with a stupid gimmick.

"Yeah, you're like 1600s? Late 1500s?"

"Aye, we've made some upgrades here and there but nothing past the 1800s."

"That makes sense. I'm not even sure how you'd start on fitting a modren fire control system which really limits your options."

"Also, we have regenerating weapons and powder, but it doesn't integrate well for anything modren. Except the TV for some reason."

Suddenly, it all clicked. The Batavia, Ribbon's code it all makes sense now. This was a chance to get what I've wanted ever since that fateful day in Freo.

The day that I first saw her.

Right there in the Hartog to de Vlamingh Gallery. In the center of a display on Dutch weapons.

I stood enraptured for so long. 

I nearly just took her then and there, but I couldn't hide such beauty from the world.

Couldn't disrespect the wreck divers like that.

But now, now was my chance.

"Does that include swords?"

"Aye lassie, if someone loses theirs it doesn't come back, but there is always some in the arrrrrmory if we don't push too harrrrrrrd."

"I am so harrrrd right now, I can't even be mad my translation effect is like that."

Wait fuck, inside thoughts, inside thoughts.

"Don't worry this is a pirate ship. We don't discriminate."

"Do you want to play the game where we fight to the resurrection and the winner drinks until they start losing."

"We can get you weapons. And no casting except by mutual agreement. Obviously."

New frwends?

"Rippaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar."

Linguistic bug-fixing later, swords now.

I will hopefully onscreen the pirate party and the negotiations about what Ellen will call the thing and the other thing. But to make sure I get to the actual plot before my new job starts, we are jumping to Ellen leaving the ship drunk in a longboat early the next morning

But for reference she had a great time. They like modern pirate media and half of what she chalked up to translation artifacts actually them doing bits. And they think colonialism was a horror show, but would totally do it again because money. Please direct questions about our colonialism flag to our other we're the baddies flag. It has a skull on it and means death