Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: fnord

Ditto here, especially now that Cheryl is gone. All that’s left now is a bunch of California freaks that maybe have half a brain among them all. Boring!


94 posted on 06/29/2007 7:08:36 AM PDT by piperpilot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies ]


To: AJMaXx; Alice in Wonderland; beaureguard; CJ Wolf; codercpc; conservativegranny; girlscout; ...

ARRR! Mateys! Here is your recap. I know, I know! It’s a day late, but typing with one hand (the other arm is in a sling) when you’re used to two is a BIG pain!
Anyway, without further ado, here be yer:

The Captain: Azmyth
The Officers: Ben, Jay
The Crew: Azmyth, Christa, J. D., Joy, Jupiter, Kendra, Laurel, Louie, Nessa
Sent ta Davy Jones’ Locker: John, Christian, Alexis, Cheryl, Sean

Episode 4: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Out of the Galley and Into the Sea: Sean is Cut Adrift

Azmyth reclaims the role of Captain, with Ben and Jay as his Officers, and everyone starts bidding on the Royal Pardon to save their skin. After Nessa, with the help of Joe Don, places the highest bid on the Pardon, she is shocked to find out she isn't even a recipient of the Black Spot. At Pirates' Court, the Pardon would have come in handy for Sean, who is cut adrift because of dubious loyalties.

As Sean floats out to sea, he reflects on the events that led to his departure: "I really was surprised I was cut adrift tonight. There's a lot of conniving going on, on that ship. I think they're trying to cut off some of the stronger competitors. I was kind of blindsided by that one. I kind of blame that little trio of guys I thought I was close with. I mean, all three of them decided to give me a black spot and I'm pretty positive they swayed the votes the way they wanted to go. But I mean it's a game and I got railroaded, man."

Tensions Rise
After Cheryl is cut adrift, the Pirates head downstairs into the crew quarters. Sean admits to Joe Don that he's glad he wasn't cut adrift, but Joe Don doubts his sincerity. Across the room, Ben and Nessa lie next to each other while Ben commiserates over Cheryl's departure. "One day, you're searching through the forest for hidden treasure and then the next day, you gotta see one of your friends float off on a pathetic little raft, never to be seen again," he says as Nessa lays her hand on his arm. Sean observes Nessa's flirtation with Ben and doesn't approve of how she's pulling the men on the ship to her side.

Later, Sean confronts Nessa, blaming her for Cheryl's departure, which leads Nessa to counterattack, calling him two-faced. "Sean has made a lot of enemies lately," Nessa explains. "He's talking out of both sides of his mouth. But, you can't go around pissing people off and rubbing people the wrong way like that. It's gonna come back and get you."

When Nessa attacks Sean for voting for Cheryl, he claims he never wanted Cheryl gone and accuses Nessa of voting for Pirates who may be problematic for her down the line. After Jupiter joins the argument, Sean attacks Nessa for using back massages to get guys on her side and she retorts, "What are we, in junior high?" As the argument winds down, Sean sums up his feelings on Nessa by saying, "She's conniving, she's manipulative. If we lose tomorrow, I think, with my sway, I can get her gone."

Christa Reaches New Heights
The next morning, Captain Louie wakes his crew and thinks ahead to the next treasure and the possibility of taking more money this time. "The Captain does deserve more," he confesses. "But if he takes more than two shares, he's greedy." Up on deck, the crew starts to hoist the sails along with the pirate flag.

Christa conquers a fear of heights, ingrained in her since her grandfather suffered a tragic fall, by climbing up the rigging for the first time. As her shipmates cheer from below, she ponders what winning the treasure could mean for her life with her daughter. "I have a six-year-old daughter," she explains through tears. "I just wanna give my daughter a better life. She deserves the money more than anybody here."

A Gambler's Treasure
Host Cameron Daddo meets with the crew on the ship's quarterdeck where he reveals the key to the next compartment of the Chest of Zanzibar. Jupiter uses the key to open the compartment, where she finds two maps written on the back of large playing cards: the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Clubs. Cameron explains that this latest treasure was hidden by Barnabus Bagley, the pilot of Captain Henry Steel's ship. Bagley was a skilled navigator who had a weakness for gambling and playing Blackjack.

Captain Louie and his two Officers, Sean and Nessa, join the Black Crew while everyone else picks shot from the bag to determine which crew they will join for the Expedition. As everyone picks shot, Nessa explains, "My plan on the Expedition is to win at all costs. It's important for me to hold onto my position because Jupiter and Sean are out to get me."

Once the crews are divided, the Black Crew consists of Louie, Joy, Nessa, Joe Don, Christa and Sean, while the Red Crew includes Azmyth, Jupiter, Laurel, Kendra, Ben and Jay. For this Expedition, the Pirates must use their map and paddle to the anchor on the beach. Then, they must head west to the Voodoo Forest where they will search for a card of the same suit to pair with their Ace and make 21. There, they will find their next clue.

Booby Traps and Voodoo

Both crews set off to shore in their longboats, but the Black Crew gets there first. The Black Crew crosses a river and heads into the forest. As Nessa runs between the trees, her foot catches on a trip wire that sends her falling to the ground with palm fronds falling on top of her. Sean sees this and notes, "That was comical, but it narrowed the gap between us and the Red Crew." The Red Crew maneuvers around the booby trap and makes their way to the Voodoo Forest. Both crews scour the forest in search of face cards that rest on the trees to match the playing cards that adorn the back of their maps.

The Black Crew finds a Jack of Clubs, which they need to pair up with their Ace of Clubs to make 21. In that particular tree, they discover a canister containing their next clue: "Return to the anchor from whence you did start. Search the horizon for the treasure close to your heart." As the Red Crew continues to search for a Jack of Hearts, the Black Crew takes their clue and an accompanying spyglass and heads back toward the anchor. When the Red Crew finally finds the Jack of Hearts and their clue, they worry the Black Crew is too far ahead.

A Palm Tree in the Sky is where the Treasure Lies
On the beach, the Black Crew can't see anything through their spyglass because it got wet on their trek back to the beach. As they try to dry it out, the Red Crew starts to catch up. Christa convinces her crew to just head towards the island while they wait for the spyglass to dry, so they hop back into the longboat and head out, hoping to find a heart that will lead to their next clue. The Red Crew uses their spyglass to find the heart on a tree across the horizon and the Black Crew sees it too as they paddle to shore.

When both crews arrive at the island, they hike up a steep hill, through jagged terrain. Nessa leads the Black Crew to a gravestone and they unearth a casket, which contains their next clue: "The closest point to heaven is palm tree in the sky. Underneath its braches is where my treasure lies." The Black Crew spots a palm tree up the hill, where the treasure is buried. Arriving at the palm tree, the Black Crew starts digging around it while the Red Crew catches up to them.

Christa starts to dig a hole, but gives up on it, leading Jay to dig deeper into the same hole, where he finds a bag containing the treasure. The Red Crew cheers and Jupiter fires the blunderbuss, signaling their win. As Christa starts crying because she was so close, Jay comments, "On the next Expedition, I'm just gonna like dig one foot around Christa. I figure it's easier than trying to find it myself."

A New Louie and an Old Captain
Exhausted from the Expedition, the Black Crew heads below deck where Louie grabs Joe Don's hands and strikes a truce, proclaiming that he no longer has vengeance in his life. "I no longer wear the blue jacket," he explains. "No longer do I have any vengeance. I'm back to the humble seaman, a worthy swab."

Meanwhile, the Red Crew climbs back on deck and eagerly counts their treasure, which is worth $40,000. When Cameron informs everyone that they must pick a new Captain, everyone nominates Azmyth again. Azmyth accepts the position, takes his half of the treasure, and chooses Ben and Jay to be his new Officers. As the rest of the crew heads below deck with their portion of the treasure, Azmyth feels good about being Captain again. "I decided to choose Ben and I decided to choose Jay, two really strong guys," he explains. "And I really hope to be there with them 'til the end." Back in the Captain's cabin, Azmyth decides to share a lot of the treasure with the rest of the crew, just like he did last time.

Bidding Buddies
Later that night, Jupiter and Sean talk in the galley about their desire to see Nessa cut adrift, but they don't realize that Nessa is eavesdropping from the galley roof. Sean and Jupiter estimate how much money Nessa may bid on the Royal Pardon, which could save her from being cut adrift, and whether or not Jupiter should try and outbid her. Nessa continues to spy on them and later comments, "The people that are out to get me better hope I don't win, 'cause if I do, they're going down in a heartbeat."

In the morning, as everyone scrubs the deck, Nessa pulls Joe Don aside to talk about the Royal Pardon. She knows Joe Don still has the Pardon after the last Pirates' Court and she hopes to buy it from him. After she tells him that she placed a bid for $6,000, Joe Don says he wants to give her more money. "It's just a nice, fresh face to look at amongst the crew," he explains. "I just don't want to see her go." Joe Don hands her an additional $2,500 in gold coins to add to her bid, so she can put the Pardon far out of reach of the others. As Nessa changes her bid to $9,000, she comments on taking a risk by saying, "You could put a lot of money down on the Royal Pardon and not get a Black Spot and be in the hole, financially. And it's just a gamble you take for a little bit of insurance."

Jay Sways His Way
Now that he is an Officer and is unable to vote, Jay still takes comfort in the fact that he directly or indirectly controls everyone on the ship except for Laurel. When Jay approaches Laurel and asks about how she votes with her heart, she tells him, "I'm not going with what everyone else goes with because they ask me to." As he walks away, she rolls her eyes and comments, "Everything that I hear out of Jay's mouth, I feel like it's a lie."

Captain Azmyth meets with his Officers to determine which three pirates should receive the Black Spots for the upcoming Pirates' Court. When everyone realizes that Nessa will probably purchase the Pardon, Azmyth decides to throw a loop into the game and not give Nessa a Black Spot, thus making her bid pointless. Jay agrees and also nominates Sean because he doesn't trust Sean ever since he went back on his word.

Everyone also agrees Louie should receive a Black Spot since he himself stated that a former Captain should always be tested at Pirates' Court after he or she is removed from power. When they can't think of a third pirate to mark, Jay suggests Laurel because she doesn't take sides in this game. Pleased with their decisions, the Captain and his Officers prepare to meet with the crew.

Pirates' Court - The Pardon Changes Hands

The entire crew gathers on deck for Pirates' Court, where Cameron asks Joe Don to hold up the Royal Pardon and he explains that whoever has the highest bid will be safe, though they must pay Joe Don the full amount whether they need the Pardon or not. Azmyth explains that he marked Louie because of his own belief that a Captain should be put on the stand. He marked Laurel because they don't know which side she's on. Finally, he marked Sean because he seems two-faced when talking to the crew.

Louie starts his defense by restating his belief that any former Captain should be tested, before saying "I believe I was a fair Captain and I am ready to take your test." Laurel is the next to defend herself, but she's confused about Azmyth's choice of words because she's not on anybody's side. Azmyth apologizes for his terminology, but his explanation only further confuses Laurel and the rest of the crew. Laurel then reassures everyone that she doesn't take sides and that she'll continue to push herself on the Expeditions.

When Sean defends himself, he mentions that the practice of saying one thing and doing another is part of the game and he wants to stay on the ship. "I want to be here," he states. "I want to run with you, I want to row with you, I want to bleed with you, I want to sweat with you. But most of all…I wanna get back in that kitchen and cook you a great dinner tonight."

Cameron informs the crew that he'll reveal the highest bidder after everyone places their ballots. One by one, the crew places their ballots atop the dagger's blade, securing their vote. Cameron examines the ballots and reveals that the Captain is safe and that Laurel received no ballots. Cameron then informs the two remaining pirates that Sean received the most ballots but the Royal Pardon could save him, leaving Louie to be cut adrift. After he examines the bids, Cameron tells everyone that Nessa placed the highest bid at $9,000, so Sean is the next pirate to be cut adrift.

ARRR!!!!
Here be yer running tally of how much booty has been collected and/or shared and by whom:

Azmyth: $20,350
Ben: $17,458
Christa: $7,037.50
Jay: $11,575
J.D.: $37,600
Joy: $1,033
Jupiter: $14,825
Kendra: $13,620.50
Laurel: $6,200
Louie: $16,870.50
Nessa: $1,371.50

Capt. Azmyth splits $40,000 treasure, ($10,000 for himself & $6,000 each to Ben, Jay, Jupiter, Kendra & Laurel). Joe Don gives Nessa $2,500 to up her bid for the pardon. Nessa wins pardon with $9,000 bid. Money paid to Joe Don.

Cast adrift:
Sean: $2,034
Cheryl: $10,625
Alexis: $2,200
Christian: $ 200
John: $ 2,000


Take Care,

ARRR! Send me a FReepmail if ya wants ta be added to the Pirate Master Ping List!

95 posted on 07/03/2007 5:59:40 AM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money (Fred Thompson & Duncan Hunter in '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson