in which we meet a couple of maggie's fellow pirates

The town of Port Doras spread around the harbor of an island that had changed hands so many times that no one was sure what country it belonged to. There was some law and order, but its lack of consistent imperial sovereignty meant that it was a welcome haven for pirates and buccaneers and men and women who might be escaping royal justice. It was a good place to repair and resupply one's ship, take some rest, and if necessary replace one's crew. Red Maggie had sailed with the same crew for nearly a year, and when they were land bound, they considered Port Doras their home.

Red Maggie had brought the Black Lighting in for repairs, and now she paced up and down the wharf waiting for Doren, the boatswain, to finish discussing all the necessary work with the crew. It was the boatswain's job to look after the maintenance of the ship, and even in the navy this was not the captain's job, but the Black Lightning was Maggie's ship and she possessively wanted to be in charge of everying.

Doren finished her conversation and walked over to where Maggie had stopped pacing and was squinting at a ship just coming into the harbor.

( Who is that? Doren asked, gesturing to the new ship. )

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