Sacrificing Sanity

[Szerano]

Espi looked at his host in amusement, turned towards the robot and replied with a slight grin: "Could you perhaps get my ship refueled in the docking bay and show me the way to her? No need to rearm it at all, I can manage.", turning his sight towards Derilos slowly, getting ready for all kinds of possible and previously thought impossible reactions. Instead Derilos simply wished away the robot and calmy stated. "Your escape is already planned, don't worry aslong as the solider robots don't find you, you have a clear escape. But...your not to escape yet...your ship has already been refueled and your systems check out ok. If you want anything else just let me know. As for what you do right now, you are to wait, I'll have to contact your freinds and let them know how much fun you are having. Until that happens you don't go anywhere. As for food, if you want any we have it just ask no need ot rush off in a hurry now is there?"

"No need to do that, senor. My men already know where I am, and are coming for me as we speak. If it was a ransom you wished for, let me tell you this - We have people to feed, lives depend on us. Lives of our daughters, sons and our elder. We work hard to get what we can for them, and now you think we will simply give something to you?" he paused for a moment "What I am experiencing right now, is surely an interesting situation for every man to be in, but I have no choice. If I am to die here, I will know that my sailors continue with their work. One of them will take my place, and the Black Sails will work as they did up until now. The Corsairs will get their supplies as they did, only the people delivering them will change. I do not wish to live forever, I never did. Most Corsairs are born with 'death' written on their forehead and I have outlived many of my amigos already, even if I am far from being old. The Black Sails will not give you a dime for my life. If they do, many others die, and I wish not to have their blood on my hands."

Derilos considered everything Espi had to say and finally decided on a reply, "Who said you were to die? We know how things work in the corsairs, you kill one and another sprouts. What we are aiming for is to simply distract you. If you think for a second we are here to kill you then you are sadly mistaken. The only things that can kill you is your brothers once they find me, IF they find me. The ransom? A fluke we don't expect to be paid. In fact we have a death sign on our head as well. I'd suggest you think on that hmm? We are both in the same boat. Do you see the plan now corsair? Do you really?" Derilos kept the rest to himself and stared up at the projection screen overhead.

"I don't. That's exactly what concerns me." asking himself where could this whole thing possibly lead and who is pulling the strings, the Corsair stood up and looked around the garden again. "We could use this technology. Where did you get it from?" Derilos kept staring at the stars while he replied to Espi, "We all have our part Corsair, keep to yours and you'll have plenty of time to find out for yourself, that is, if you keep to your part. I have." Derilos took some time to finish, "I have..my own part to play...you should follow yours or the plan is ruined and you will die."

Espi thought it would drive him mad. This thing was toying with him. So far it said almost nothing to him, and it was lying. "Heck - this bastard thinks he's human! It's delusional. I need to get out of here", he thought to himself. He turned around, now facing the thing, and asked calmly: "A plan? What do you mean? Some sort of strange word for destiny? There is no such thing. If there were, I would have been long dead, somewhere in space, with none of my friends knowing where I am. What is this 'plan' of yours then?" "The Plan is for us to be noticed. I am to die and you are to live. Once SHE arrives." Derilos took some more time before he answered again. "SHE is what you should worry about corsair.. trust me I'm nothing to her. If you see her corsair, don't touch her, don't look at her, don't think about her. That's your best bet." A robot came in with a cup of hot chocolate. It left and Derilos left the cup sitting there steaming. "Play by this plan and follow it and soon...This will be yours.." Derilos didn't waver from looking at the stars overhead, being somewhat captivated by them.

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