Materialistic Idealist's blog: "My writing"

Operation Trojan Horse

Prologue

 “Be fierce, be brutal my loyal warriors. Do not fail me now. Our fate now rests with you…….”

 The king always did have a flair for the dramatic. And this occasion was no exception. He had finally authorised the military to move against and crush the infamous pirate queen Grace.

One week earlier…… The messenger tiptoed his way through the crowd sheepishly. The air was thick with the aroma of rich food, drink, expensive perfumes and smoke….perhaps tobacco, perhaps other things. People ate and drank and talked and danced.

At the far side of the room, the fat man held court. He was a decadent man. Hideously obese from his gross overindulgence. He was rich beyond the wildest dreams of most in the room, and canny enough to keep the cash flowing into his coffers.

The messenger whispered something into his ear. The fat man started screaming. The others in the room began to laugh, believing this to be another of the fat mans bizarre forms of entertainment. However, he continued to scream and it became clear he was in genuine distress.

His ship, returning from the east had been hijacked by pirates. Every three months, he ordered a consignment of luxury goods from the east. Fruits, spices, delicacies, perfumes, artwork. There were rumours he had also started dealing in opium. Most of it was for his own enjoyment but he made a substantial amount of money selling a portion of it to those who could afford such things.

This consignment was by far the most expensive and ambitious. As well as the usual goods, he had asked for well trained chefs from China, India, Thailand and other countries en route. The pirates had seized his goods and were holding his chefs hostage. The messenger had brought the bad news of their capture and the pirates' demand for a substantial ransom.