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Mark Arbour

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  1. Mark Arbour
    March 1795 Admiral Sir Richard Lammert sat on the veranda of Government House and looked down at the harbor. He'd dismissed his staff and canceled his meetings for the day, opting instead to lounge in a chair sipping away at some most excellent rum mixed with water. Rum was a drink he'd embraced and enjoyed, partly because he liked it, and partly because it exemplified this paradise he'd adopted as his home. He had received the news that there was a sail approaching, th
  2. Mark Arbour
    June, 1795 Granger stared at Spencer, waiting for him to explain. A frigate, one like Aurore! He'd dreamed of this day ever since he'd first stepped on board the Barracuda as a mere midshipman. He shook off his euphoria. He could enjoy that later, when he was alone. “I met her third lieutenant in the waiting room, my lord. He said there were some problems aboard, but refused to say more.” “He shouldn't have even said that,” Spencer snarled. “Should have cashiered hi
  3. Mark Arbour
    April 1795 Lieutenant Humphreys scrambled ashore, the light surf only a minor inconvenience. He was on edge at his first contact with land, half-expecting a volley of musket fire from French soldiers who had discovered him and waited in the scrub to decimate his force. But the volley didn't arrive, and Humphreys wasn't going to wait for it. “Corporal, send out your scouts. See if you can find that path,” Humphreys said. He looked at the mountain they were expected to c
  4. Mark Arbour
    April 1795 Granger awoke to feel a hand on his cheek, gently stroking him. His entire body was stiff and sore from sleeping almost doubled over all night. He opened his eyes and looked at the hand and smiled. It was Calvert's. “Good morning,” Calvert said softly, though not with the weakness he'd shown yesterday. “Good morning to you,” Granger said, skillfully hiding his hangover, no mean feat. “You stayed here with me all night,” Calvert said.
  5. Mark Arbour
    January 26, 1795 Granger sat in his cabin going over the various reports and victualing records spread across his desk. He tried to focus on them, to give them the attention they deserved, but he simply couldn't. He was too focused on what was coming, what was ahead. Calvert had been summoned to the Admiralty this morning, and there was only one possible reason for that: he was being transferred. There was a knock on his door and he had a mind to ignore it, but caved t
  6. Mark Arbour
    February, 1795 “Pass the word for Doctor Jackson!” Granger shouted. He looked through the telescope and there was Calvert, lying on the bottom of the boat, his head supported in Fitzwilliam's lap. The midshipman seemed fine, but Calvert had an obvious gash in his neck, although how bad it was he couldn't tell yet. “Sir?” Jackson appeared, and then looked to the boat. “We'll have wounded aboard. Prepare your sick bay. Lieutenant Calvert is one of them; he ca
  7. Mark Arbour
    February, 1795 Granger opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was that he'd returned from the Royal George and collapsed on his bed. He ran his hand along his thigh to find that he was naked now. Someone must have stripped him down and put him to bed properly. How long had he been out? Winkler appeared as if by magic. He looked haggard, like he hadn't slept in days. “You're awake sir!” “So it would appear,” Grange
  8. Mark Arbour
    July, 1794 In the three days since they'd battled Emeraude, Granger had managed to recover physically, his young body bouncing back from the excessive fatigue it had endured. And like her young captain, Intrepid had managed to recover as well. Her shot holes were repaired, her sails mended, her rigging checked, and her dead were buried. Granger paced his quarterdeck and pondered the other part of Intrepid: her officers and crew. Her human occupants had not recovered so
  9. Mark Arbour
    August 1794 “She's a rather small ship to be sailing halfway around the world,” Bertie said as he toured Intrepid with Granger. “She is quite seaworthy,” Granger said, a bit too defensively. “I am assuming that we will meet again, but with a war, and these uncertain times, it is possible that we will not,” Bertie said, then held up his hand to stop Granger from objecting. “You know that you're my favorite brother. Freddie and I could never quite get along. H
  10. Mark Arbour
    December 28, 1794 “Gentlemen, the King,” Lennox said, raising his glass at Granger's table. The others, all of Intrepid's officers except the reliable Wilson who had the watch, were arrayed around Granger's dining room table, cramped quarters for all of them, enjoying the last of Granger's delicacies. Lefavre had gone all out for this dinner, and it was truly fabulous, but Granger was sobered by the knowledge that for the rest of the voyage home he'd have to subsist on pretty much t
  11. Mark Arbour
    January 18, 1795 “Please forgive me for asking, Your Highness, but what circumstances dictate your presence here in the Channel in a gale?” Granger asked as delicately as he could. He studied this foreign prince in front of him, probably close to 50 years of age, with porcelain white skin and bulbous features. He seemed almost surreal, a man from another world. “French forces have invaded and overrun poor Holland, instigating revolt from within by the Patriots, as the
  12. Mark Arbour
    January 21, 1795 “The King asks about you almost every time I see him,” the Earl said as they headed to St. James Palace. “That's very thoughtful of him,” Granger said, knowing it was significantly more important than that. “And you have never been presented?” the Earl said to Calvert. “No my lord,” he said nervously. “Well you should relax,” the Earl said. “It's quite short. Besides, every man should have a chance to meet his sovereign.
  13. Mark Arbour
    August 1794 Granger scanned the harbor with his glass, taking in the sight of this strange, foreign land that was the heart of British power in India: Madras. The anchorage was crowded with ships of all kinds. Several Indiamen were berthed in one part of the harbor, while dhows and other strange Eastern craft intermingled with them. In an entirely different part of the harbor, two 74s swung gently at anchor, a rear admiral's flag flying from the foremost one. Granger scanned for
  14. Mark Arbour
    July, 1794 There was only the slightest hint of light, the beginning of dawn, as the tension escalated to almost breaking point on the deck of the Intrepid. Granger stared down the deck and could start to make out the men at the nearest guns waiting for orders, waiting for another broadside of 18-pound cannonballs to rip through the side. He thought about pacing. It would help him relax, but he'd been on deck almost all night, he'd been awake almost constantly for the past two days
  15. Mark Arbour
    July 1794 The wind was with them now, and so was the tide, whisking them away from the burning brig. He saw the flames rising up into her rigging, taking root in her tinder dry sails. There was no way to save her now. The only question was whether she'd sink before she exploded. Granger looked forward and saw more flames as the schooners Humphreys had fired began to burn like pyres. “There's the Intrepid sir!” a man in the bow said urgently. Sure enough, she was right
  16. Mark Arbour
    September 1794 Granger read the documents as fast as his French would let him. Well, his French and a flickering light that swayed violently with Intrepid's motion. The squall that Barney predicted had arrived just as they'd gotten the last of the men off the Bon Frère. The first waves of the storm crashed into her, flowing through the gaps in her side, and then she was gone. He'd certainly saved some Dutch merchantmen an unpleasant encounter with her in the future, but as he read
  17. Mark Arbour
    October 1794 Intrepid tacked slowly through the harbor until she could tack no more, then Granger had to lower the boats and warp her to her anchorage. She followed Rattlesnake dutifully, looking like a duckling chasing after her mother. Granger was already dressed in his good uniform, his report in his portfolio below, waiting for the inevitable summons. He watched as Centurion grew closer and closer, along with her two consorts. Granger wondered how Fellowes was handling being c
  18. Mark Arbour
    April, 1794 Granger stood still on his quarterdeck watching the island of Madeira fade behind them. To all appearances, he seemed the typical, stoic British naval officer, but anyone who knew him would be able to recognize the fury that lay buried beneath the façade. Those people would recognize the slight red tinge of the skin on his ears, the way his nostrils flared a little wider, the firm set of his clamped-down jaw. But even if a person didn't know him, anyone who dared to loo
  19. Mark Arbour
    May, 1794 Dawn found the seas empty, no sign of Aquilla or any other ships for that matter. “Mr. Carslake,” Granger called. “Why don't you ask our young gentlemen to plot our position?” “Aye aye sir,” he said nervously. Granger used his own sextant to plot their position, and then watched the two midshipmen laboring away. They were only 100 miles away from Tenerife, and should reach the port late tonight or early tomorrow, depending on the weather. Finally they were d
  20. Mark Arbour
    June, 1794 Fitzwilliam looked down at Granger with a shy smile and knelt next to him. Granger watched him move, the whole thing seeming to go in slow motion, as his mouth moved closer and closer to Granger's dick. And then Granger felt his soft lips and his tongue on the head of his cock, felt his mouth as he moved down his shaft, felt Fitzwilliam's hand as it fondled and gently pulled on his balls. Granger reached over and ran his hand along the young man's back, encouraging him,
  21. Mark Arbour
    June, 1794 “It looks to be a pretty basic port, sir,” Humphreys observed. “You say there are shoals here, on the headlands?” Granger asked Hercule. Dinner was over and the table had been cleared. In its place was Granger's chart of Port Louis. Granger and Hercule each had a pencil to make markings as they enhanced it. “Yes sir. Too shallow for even Intrepid sir,” Hercule said. “What about schooners?” Granger asked. “Maybe they cou
  22. Mark Arbour
    April 11, 1794 “Mr. Humphreys, what brings you here?” Granger asked. Humphreys looked at him nervously. There was concern in his blue eyes, even though his demeanor, his ramrod straight back and his perfectly combed black hair, certainly didn't reveal it. “I came aboard hoping you'd appoint me to your ship sir,” he said formally. “It would be an honor to welcome you aboard,” Granger said. Seeing the relief on Humphreys’ face, the gratitude in his eyes, was pri
  23. Mark Arbour
    April 17, 1794 “And what sort of problem do we have Mr. Andrews?” Granger asked. He didn't want to be interrupted, he wanted Calvert to fuck him; alas, duty came first. But did it have to be a problem? “Sir, I opened up the cask of salt beef for dinner and it was rancid. I was going to bring a piece to show you sir, but it was so horrible I didn't want to ruin your dinner,” Andrews said. “Thank you. I will look at it later. How many casks are rotten?” Grang
  24. Mark Arbour
    April 13, 1794 Granger walked quietly toward the shapes. It was so dark it was possible that he wasn't even seeing shapes, but he had a feeling his eyes hadn't deceived him. He avoided the notice of the helmsman and the other men on watch; It was so pitch black that wasn't hard to do. As he got closer he saw Carmody standing next to Fitzwilliam. Granger stopped for a minute to let his eyes adjust, but it was too dark for that. He saw Carmody's hand moving in Fitzwilliam's trouser
  25. Mark Arbour
    May, 1794 “Let's compare our positions,” Granger said to the two midshipmen, Calvert, and Carslake. They reviewed their sightings and subsequent calculations and discovered, much to Granger's delight, that they were all remarkably close. And not only that, they were remarkably close to the Equator. “Mr. Carslake, I must commend you on your efforts with our young gentlemen. They are becoming fine navigators,” Granger said. “Thank you sir,” Carslake said, while
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