Lottery Dreams Ch. 14: Private Enter

Chapter 14 : Private Enterprise

On the ship travelled, catching glimpses of islands, and occasionally other craft. In fact, little happened until they saw the three small boats coming toward them.

"What do you make of it?" asked Charley as they all gathered on the deck. A watch was kept permanently now, so the new arrivals were spotted straight away.

"Could be fishing boats?" said Raj.

"Too fast," replied Natasha.

"What would they be doing out here?" wondered Charley. "We are miles off the normal shipping routes? What are they up to?"

"Maybe they are lost? Or trying to get away, as we are?" Raj tried to look on the good side.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Natasha, lowing the binoculars. "Better get the guns ready."

"They might be from another ship? One that's been in trouble?" Raj looked at the others, but no one wanted to hear his explanations.

"There's only one reason they are sailing the waters around here," said Natasha. "Pirates."

"Let's not be too hasty, we don't want to start a shooting war if we can help it. Just see what they want. You guys keep your heads down back there and try not to blow us away." Charley waved away the group of men who had crept forward, with the collection of Kalashnikovs they had acquired from the island.

Slowly the small boats approached. Built for speed, they clearly had no reason to be this far out to sea. The men stood on the decks and smiled. A mix of oriental and Asian, they appeared like any other ship's crew in this part of the world. But Charley and the others were very wary of anyone now.

"Hi there, let us come on board, we need your help. We are in trouble and need you to help us." The leader of the group waved to them as they came alongside. Instinctively they waved their arms for ropes to be lowered down to them.

The crew of the good ship Lottery, stood motionless.

They might have gone on staring at each other for some time, if not for the next action.

Suddenly the strangers produced machine guns, and a sea of Kalashnikov barrels looked up at them.

"Throw the ropes down!" shouted the pirate leader.

"Don't shoot, just yet!" shouted Charley, as their own gunmen came to take aim over the side of the ship.

"Do you think you can outgun us!" With a snap of the fingers, the pirates reached checkmate and produced an array of rocket launchers and missiles. It was an impressive display, and the Lottery crew fell back.

"Just get back to cover!" Natasha leapt backwards, but they needed no telling, as they fell back as one.

"What now?" asked Raj, as everyone crouched behind the boxes stored on deck.

"I don't know," whispered Charley. "But let's see what they want. We might be able to buy them off."

"All we have below is frozen pizzas!" Raj could see no happy end to this battle.

Slowly, and as if they had done it a hundred times; the pirates climbed on deck. They had thrown grappling hooks over the side and were pulling themselves up slowly. As they crept forward to take cover, the ladder was lowered over the side, for the well-armed men to come aboard.

Now they faced each other, for what was going to be a massive battle.

"We have nothing of any value here," shouted Charley. "But you are welcome to a share of whatever you can find."

"Lower your guns and come out," said the pirate leader.

"We are asylum seekers and escape slaves. We have nothing of any worth." Charley was just about to offer them a share in the Lottery ticket when Natasha brought matters to a head.

"I'm not staying here to die," she whispered to the others beside her. "When I give the signal, we rush them and kill the lot."

She stood up to smile at the men. As she walked across the open deck, she held her hands out in a gesture of peace, but Charley could see the pistol tucked into the waistband in the back of her jeans.

"Now let's talk this over boys."

She would have gone into action if not for the strange reaction of the pirates.

"It's her!" cried one.

"Yes, it's the sex goddess!" suddenly the pirates all realised they knew who Natasha really was.

"You are the girl from the satellite channel?" The pirate leader lowered his gun and walked out into the middle of the deck. "We all worship you. I have all your videos. Would you sign them for me?"

"Got a pen?"

With that, the ice was broken. Everyone put down their guns and came out to take a closer look at one another.

"We are the greatest pirates in the whole of the China sea," boasted the pirate leader. "My name is Lan. Everyone knows me. My enemies fear me, but you are my friends. Anyone who travels with the Goddess Natasha is a friend of Lan's. This is a great honour. The highest point in my career."

"Seems I have a fan club?" said Natasha, as she basked in the glory. "So you boys want an autograph?"

It turned out Natasha was famous throughout the region. Such was her renowned fame, that in their eyes, she could do no wrong.

"It seems they are keen satellite TV fans," said Charley, as the ship set sail once again.

"We will stay with you as an escort," proclaimed Lan, the pirate chief. "these waters are very treacherous, with all sorts of scoundrels roaming the seas."

So they travelled, safer than they could ever be. No one dared attack them, and there was even an offer to join the pirates. There might have been a great deal of trouble between the pirates and the crew of the ship, but for the presents of the girls. They had seen the writing on the wall and thought their chances were better going ashore with the gang of cut throats, than staying on the rusty ship. The complaints had been growing slowly day by day, as Natasha had predicted, and Charley almost clapped his hands, the day they told him they were all leaving.

"Will they be safe with Lan and his men?" asked Charley, watching them leave the ship.

"Will Lan be safe with them?" added Natasha. "They are working girls. They have seen tougher big shots than them, believe me."

"I can't help thinking they will end up going back to slavery."

"These were the same women, that stood by as we slaved in that factory. Every day!" Clearly Raj had no doubts. "Maybe we should take Lan up on his offer?"

"What would we do, living like bandits?" Charley had seriously considered the offer.

"What is there in England for you?" Raj pointed out. "You could live like a King?"

"No," pondered Charley. "Something tells me I have to get back home and make things right."

"You can't win with these people man." Natasha had never understood his self-destructive streak, and shook her head, as they watched the little speed boats plough alongside them.

"They owe us the money, and I want the world to know about Rufus, and people like him."

"You can't right all the wrongs of the world Charley." Natasha got to work on the charts. Greatly helped since the pirates told them where they really were.

"But this was something done to me. Why did that Gerald abandon me there? On who's instructions? And why? This is personal."

"What good will it do?" Raj too had doubts about going on now. You have a life to go back to, but we are better off with the pirates. They were once like us. Slaves, fleeing oppression for a better life."

"Maybe you should stay?" Charley pondered the idea, as he sat in the captain's chair. "Let me go back. I could get someone to cut the ticket out, and I could return with the money?"

"These pirate places are pretty hairy." Natasha looked up.

"I want this to go to the United Nations. They could step in and protect us?"

"Jesus man, you are getting well out of your depth." Natasha shook her head. "You'll be declaring yourself Emperor next."

"I have to go back."

Charley was so adamant that no one stood in his way. Even the pirates saw his point of view, as they came on board the ship to say goodbye. They had managed to keep the knowledge of the lottery ticket a secret up till now and hoped it would stay that way.

"We have had missionaries come out here, and try to make us good boys again. But no one has ever wanted to make us legitimate." Lan, the pirate leader, found it refreshingly unusual to the point of being enthusiastic.

With that, they set off again.