I'm pretty well set now.

"Thanks, I think I'm good." Brenan told Davy “At least I should be if your Lantian boys work out as well as you say."

"You'll get along fine with them Brenan,” Davy assured him "You always did have a soft spot for society's outcasts." Brenan grinned back at Davy's lopsided smile as he left the ship and wondered why that was. His crew for the most part was a collection of odd balls, he couldn't deny it.

After leaving Freeport on the changing tide, Brenan had time to think about Davy's description of his crew.

The Lantian half-breeds were part human, part fish. Well not really fish, Lantian. Brenan didn't know much more about Lantians than any other Pandoran. They were once human, but had been modified to live in the depths of the Pandoran oceans. Full Lantians were gill-breathers who couldn't survive long out of water, but the twins mostly took after their mother. Although the odd looking pair had partial webbing between their fingers and toes and light sensitive eyes that saw well even in the darkest night neither of them had gills. At least they were skilled sailors.

The Caruthers boys were about as different from the Jones twins as he could envision. As half-breeds, the Jones boys were used to being looked upon with scorn by even the poorest harbor trash. The Caruthers on the other hand were from a rich aristocratic family. Their family owned a plantation on one of the islands west of Freeport, but their grandfather had trained them as Vault hunters from the time they were just kids. Unfortunately, he hadn't bothered to teach them the first thing about sailing but other than that they might be useful. James especially had real skill as a mapmaker/navigator and Julien was a trained fencer - Brenan wasn't sure how Julien would react to twenty or more pirates swarming over the gunwales of the ship but he'd learn quick or die quick.

Hopefully Mr. Michaels would see to it that any pirate ship was missing most of its canvas long before they got close enough to board. Mr. Michaels, the mad genius of gunnery was his secret weapon, with only two 6-pounders he'd need every shot to count. He had promised the gunnery officer would have a free hand to make modifications so long as they didn't drastically effect the schooner's performance; after hearing some of his ideas Brenan was wondering if it that had been a good idea. To be fair, some of his ideas were pretty good; he had liked the gunner's suggestions for mimicking the shells for James' 'Peacemaker' shotgun. Brenan knew he'd need every advantage he could get especially with the Veer Empire hunting for Sasha as well as all the other dangers that every ship captain faced.

Sasha, Sasha, Sasha. Brenan didn't even know where to start thinking about his new cook. Another one of 'society's outcasts' as Davies called them, Sasha didn't know her name or where she was from but she knew other things that no-one else did. Sasha knew more about his revolver than he did and she was in trouble, hunted by a sadistic one-eyed kid. Despite his youth this agent, 'Carrot top' for lack of a better name, was clearly the most dangerous of at least half a dozen Veer agents all looking for Sasha. He felt an unreasonable need to protect her, and not just because she was a beautiful redhead either although that seemed to be a weakness of his.

Unlike Sasha though, Red could take care of herself. Red was his sailing master and first officer, and at least as far as her niece Cindy was concerned his beloved. Cindy was as pretty as her aunt, prettier he supposed if you like vivacious blonde teenagers. Brenan though definitely preferred Red to her sexy young niece. Even when Cindy had offered to suck his cock in an attempt to earn her position on his crew, Brenan had turned down the pretty blonde. With a groan he remembered how hard it had been to refuse her offer. He doubted that any of the rest of his crew would have done that, not either of the Caruthers, probably not Kyle or Tyler either and certainly not Harry.

The last of his crew, Harry Castilo fancied himself a ladies’ man as well as a swordsman like Julien. He was also a trained sailor who seemed at least as competent as the Lantian half-breeds. Castillo knew Mr. Michaels from their days together on the Siren's ****. Black Bart's frigate, a pirate ship that preyed on both Veer and Cryn merchantmen and also one that specialized in taking and selling slaves as well as cargo. Brenan's fists clenched unconsciously as he contemplated how bad it would be it his little crew ever fell into Bart Simmon's clutches.

It wasn't just the Siren, there were dozens of pirate ships that swarmed these islands, he saw the Peregrine for example leaving harbor on the very same tide as he had. Any one of these pirates would love to relieve him of Ambrose's cargo, and probably take his ship and crew as well.

He'd feel better when they rendezvoused with Red, Cindy and Julien and he had a full complement of crew. Of course that could only happen if Julien was able to follow his crude map and get to Red's little cottage in time to let her know about the change in plan. It was risky, but the cargo he carried had to get to Veertor in just over a week and he didn't have the time to wait for Red to meet him in Freeport.

So he and his crew of society's outcast were sailing north to meet up with the last three members of his crew.