Either a dirty teacher, the ex-wife, or the current wife...

Sheesh... you guys aren't trying very hard.

She's totally new to the story... and has no prior connection to any of the characters... I just threw her in there as a salute to a bit of Arizona journalistic history.

(and if you can't figure it out now, well, I give up)

no!! you can't stop writing this dynasty!!!

it would be disastrous.

Well, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's not trying very hard :D

SI

I get next to nothing when I google her name...

*shurg*

Debbie's grandfather? got astride the interests of some tough fellows.



Don Bolles was an investigative reporter for the Arizona Republic. He knew just about everything their was to know about the mob in Phoenix. During his career as a reporter he crossed many corrupt officials and gangsters. The one that would end his life was Kemper Marley. Don Bolles reporting exposed Kemper Marley's connection with the mob, forcing him to resign as a member of the State Board Racing Commission. As a result of this, Marley had Bolles killed.

http://jeff.scott.tripod.com/donbolles.html

http://phoenix.about.com/gi/dynamic/...nology-CR.html

Ding ding ding... we have a winner.

Well done, mhass...

The Don Bolles/Kemper Marley story is something that makes for fascinating research...

Want more fun? Find out what famous current US Senator that is connected to (in fact, related to) Kemper Marley. Do a little digging... the story might surprise you.

Yes, I know this is a digression from our regularly scheduled story... I'm just trying to add a little depth here...

john mccain?

Yep. The great war hero, who dumped his wife after he returned from Vietnam (supposedly, after she was crippled herself in an accident) for the younger (and richer) Cindy Hensley - heiress to the second-largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship in the U.S. - and daughter of Jim Hensley, who owned the business as a result of his position in Marley's empire.

Fascinating stuff, if you care to take the time reading about it. McCain is as dirty as they come.

Anyhow, I have no idea if Don Bolles had any children (or grandchildren, or whatever), I just made Debbie up as an homage to a man who seems to have become forgotten, despite the relevance, to this day, of the criminal dealings regarding his death.

Tempe, Arizona
February, 2034

Franklin entered the main data center in the basement of his Tempe mansion.

"What's up?"

John handed him a file. "We have a potential problem brewing."

Franklin opened the file and looked at a photograph of a balding, dark haired man with glasses. "Who's this?"

"Rudolph Krupp. German scientist and leading european researcher in the field of nanotechnology."

"Great. Nazis with nanomachines."

"Not exactly. Krupp hasn't gotten quite that far yet, and German-American relations are pretty good. He's not working for their government or anything."

"So what's the problem?"

"He's been kidnapped by the Indians. My sources say he's being held in Calcutta."

"Why do the Indians want him?"

"He's from a wealthy family. At this time, we figure it's just for ransom."

"How do you know all this?"

"I have contacts in the CIA, not to mention that our computers can read whatever's on any computer in the world."

"OK, so, do we break him out? Or just let the Germans deal with it?"

"We can't leave him there - it's too risky. But the Germans aren't going to do anything about it; India's too powerful, and they've already said they're not paying the ransom."

"So, what, we just let the Indians whack him?"

"No, he's likely to bargain for his own life if he realizes he's been left hanging."

"Alright... then you and I have to go get him."

"I have a better idea."

***

Jacob Ryan had been the Deputy Director of the CIA for 11 years now. His position wasn't subject to the political whims of whatever administration happened to be in charge, and, generally speaking, he had iron-clad job security. The CIA was conducting more black ops now than it had at any other time in its history, including the Cold War. The West was effectively at war with the East, it was just being done without too many shots being fired.

But the Indians and Chinese weren't playing by the rules, and after a temporary lull in activity for the last few years, piracy on the high seas was on the rise. Western merchants had goods that Eastern nations wanted. While cargo planes were becoming more and more popular, there was simply no replacement for the brute efficiency of the enormous oceanliners that moved large quantities across the globe - and they were a tempting target for pirates to capture and take to ports all over Asia and the South Pacific.

The United States didn't want to declare war over this nuisance, but it could neither be allowed to go on unabated. That's what this morning's meeting was about. Somebody had a solution for him - somebody who had been a remarkably accurate informant on international affairs in the past.

The meeting location was a secret. Jacob was told to simply get on the Metro blue line at 8 a.m. and wait. At Potomac Avenue, a man sat down next to him wearing a brown overcoat and hat. He slipped a note into his pocket and said, "Switch to the Orange line and then get off at Landover."

At the Landover station, Jacob read the note in his pocket:

FedEx Field
Gate C
Suite 185

Jacob tore up the note and trashed it, then hailed a cab outside the station. It was a long walk, and it was raining.

He arrived at the stadium and approached Gate C. It was open, and there was no guard. He walked in, and up the ramps to the skybox level. He knocked on the door for suite 185.

"Come in."

Jacob entered, and was met by two men. He recognized one immediately as John Smith. He didn't know the other.

John introduced him. "Thanks for coming, Jacob. This is Franklin Brown."

Jacob shook his hand. "Ah. The owner of the Scorpions. I should have guessed."

"Mr. Brown has some unique experience with the situation we're dealing with. We'd like to make a proposal."

Jacob nodded. "Go ahead."

Franklin handed him the dossier on Rudolph Krupp. "This man was kidnapped by Indian pirates while on a pleasure cruise a week ago. They're holding him for ransom in Calcutta."

Jacob shrugged. "This happens all the time. He's German. What do you want to do about it?"

Franklin continued. "He's a scientist specializing in a field that could have military applications, and if the Indians figure this out, it could be bad news. But there's a larger piracy problem here, and we have an idea to address both issues."

"I'm listening."

"Mr. Ryan, are you familiar with the concept of privateering?"

Jacob grinned. "Only what I've read in books and seen in movies."

"Well, we think it's time for the United States to bring back this concept."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, we're quite serious. The United States wants to counter the pirate threat in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but they don't want to start a world war over it. Why not issue a letter of marque to a willing private sailor, equipped with a naval vessel, and let him combat the problem?"

"Well, for starters, we'd need Presidential approval to do something like this. And Congress would probably have a fit, to say nothing of the international implications of such an act."

Franklin smiled. "Everybody loves a good pirate, Mr. Ryan. If we had one playing by our rules, there'd be little resistance. You have sufficient authority to get this started - for right now, we just want one man to be granted this privilege, and we'll see how it works out."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Captain Ardent Enthusiast."

"Christ, you must be joking. Last I heard, he was passed out drunk in a gutter somewhere in Cooktown, Australia."

"Think about it. He's an ex-Navy war hero, and a hell of a good sailor. The circumstances of his dismissal were, well, can you blame him? And he's crazy enough to go for it."

"I dunno. Where's he gonna get a ship? There's no way he's getting a U.S. Naval vessel."

"Leave that to me. He'll have a suitable private warship. All we want from you is the letter of marque. His first job will be to get Krupp. Then we turn him loose on the Indian and Chinese merchant shipping industry, and give their navies something else to worry about."

"You could be writing his death warrant."

"I don't think he's afraid to die."

"I'll have to think about it."

"Don't think for too long. We need to act on this now. The ship is already on its way to Australia. We need your answer in 48 hours."

Oooh, is this going to be the first TCY/FOF/Pirates! dynasty?

Well, Pirates! doesn't really work, historically, with TCY/FOF... but I like keeping the dynasty fresh with little side-stories like this, and I wanted to do a pirate theme, so, there you have it.

But, yeah, I play Pirates! from time to time, and I like it...

We want Ardent!
We want Brown!
We'll keeping bumping!
Page Two frowns....

lol

This thread has been seriously lacking on updates on that fabulous tight end, JeebieD Mack... ;)

Alright... update time. Here's some stats from the 2033 season. I'm only doing Scorpions team stats. I'm going to work on the draft file for a bit - if you want to see another player's stats, let me know ASAP, and I'll post them:


Yes, TE Mack has proved his worth. :D

JeebieD makes Mike Ryan look good... ;)

Ryan seems to spread the ball around a lot... while JeebieD is getting the most catches, he's also got 30+ completions to the RB, FB, and two WR's.

No, no, no. Mike Ryan makes JeebieD look good.:p

Cooktown, Australia
February, 2034

The USS Nimitz was cruising at 30 knots off the coast of Australia, a slight divergence from her usual assingment on patrol in the South Pacific, but not one that would draw much attention. She was the oldest carrier in the US Navy, but still a force to be reckoned with, with numerous upgrades over the years keeping her fit to exhibit a strong presence anywhere within 500 miles of her location.

Franklin, John, Jacob Ryan, and Captain Ed Branch stood on the deck of the carrier, awaiting the arrival of the helicopter that would take them ashore to locate Ardent.

Franklin pointed to the horizon just off the starbord bow. "There it is."

A massive submarine began to surface, and alarms sounded on the Nimitz as the new threat emerged.

"Tell you men it's O.K., Captain. That's our ship." Franklin said.

Captain Branch was not amused. "Why didn't you tell me there was going to be a goddamned submarine a thousand yards off the bow of my ship?"

"We wanted to see how good the stealth technology on it was. I guess it's working."

Branch called up to the bridge on his radio, and had the alarm stopped. He verified that the sub had gone undetected until surfacing. "That's some scary shit right there. One of those in the wrong hands could be damned lethal."

Ryan spoke. "I agree. Where did you get that ship? And how are we sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands?"

"I'll show you in a little while. Here comes the helicopter." Franklin pointed to the sub. Large panels in the forward section of the ship opened up to form a small flight deck, where a helicopter emerged from below and began to take flight. The chopper was unlike any military aircraft - sleek, black, and almost completely silent. It made the short trip to the Nimitz and landed.

The pilot of the helicopter emerged and walked towards the men. Ryan remarked, "That guy looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger, only taller."

Franklin smiled. "That's Ted. I'll tell you more about him later."

Ted greeted the men and spoke to Franklin. "Mr. Brown, the ship is secure. I have a location for Captain Enthusiast."

"Good. Let's get going."

Franklin, John, and Jacob boarded the helicopter with Ted and took off. The trip to Cooktown was brief, and the helicopter landed on the roof of an old shipping warehouse at the port. Franklin told Jacob as they disembarked, "We bought this place and upgraded it to work as a small base of operations - just one of many, in the long run."

"How secure is it?"

"Not very, to be honest. But it doesn't have to be. There's nothing here that anyone would ever be able to steal."

A white SUV with tinted windows was parked in the warehouse, and the men drove into town towards the address that Ted had. It was a bar in an industrial part of town. They parked out front.

"We should just send Ted in to get him." Franklin said.

"Why?" asked Jacob.

"Because Ardent isn't too happy with the US Government right now, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry. He's probably armed, and around here, nobody cares if you shoot a CIA agent."

"Do we care if he shoots Ted?"

"Don't worry about him. Ted, please go ask Captain Enthusiast to join us."

Ted walked into the bar. Thirty seconds later, gunshots could be heard from inside. Then, breaking glass. Screams. Broken furniture. Finally, Ted emerged with an unconscious Ardent slung over his shoulder.

"Good work. Let's go."

Twenty minutes later, Ardent was awakened by smelling salts and began thrashing about, until he realized he was tied to a chair in the middle of a small room.

"Captain Enthusiast, please relax. We're not going to hurt you." Franklin said.

"Not if I get outta this chair you're not." But the restraints proved to be most formidable. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

Jacob spoke. "Captain, my name is Jacob Ryan, CIA. How would you like to command a warship again?"

Ardent growled, "How would you like to kiss my ass? Take your lame jokes somewhere else. I'm not buying."

"I'm quite serious. I have a proposal for you." He showed Ardent his identification.

Ardent began to take in more of his surroundings. The ambient noise was unmistakeable, and the room had a very familiar decor. He was on a Navy vessel. "Where am I?"

"The USS Nimitz. Would you like to hear my proposal now?"

***

Two hours later, Ardent and the men were on the bridge of the new submarine. Ted was sitting in the command chair.

Ardent pointed at him, "How is he still alive? I shot him twice in the chest."

Franklin replied. "That's Ted. He's what we call a tactical engagement droid."

"He's a robot?"

"Basically, yes. He'll be your XO. You'll need to recruit a crew, and Ryan will help. He's going to provide some guys from the CIA, and a list of candidates who are former Navy and Marines. But you're in charge, and Ted will make sure there's no chance of mutiny. We can't have this ship fall into the wrong hands."

"And what if something happens to Ted?"

"Ted is just about indestructible, but we have contingency plans."

"So, my first mission is to find this mad German scientist?"

"Yes. As soon as possible. And we'd like to have him alive."

"One more question: What's my salary going to be like?"

"You don't get one. You're a pirate, Captain. Pillage and plunder, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Consider it a form of self-employment."

"I have no idea what to do with a cargo ship full of stolen goods."

"Don't worry. A market for your goods will most surely emerge. Just worry about Dr. Krupp right now. The rest will take care of itself."

I'm a bad mamma jamma.

Ok.

Ardent needs a cool pirate name.

And his ship needs a cool pirate ship name.

Start posting suggestions.

Gila Monster.

Dude, seriously... just let it go. ;)

Arrgh.

Tempe, Arizona
Offseason, 2034
Part One


While Franklin and John organized a modern piracy enterprise in the Pacific, there was still the matter of a football team to run. The Scorpions had established themselves as a winning franchise, but challenges still persisted. Four players had retired after the Super Bowl: Kicker Benny Deason, linebacker Dewey Desai, and cornerbacks Horace Ross and James Eller. There was cap space available, but there were also several players in the final years of their contracts that would need extensions if the Scorpions wanted to keep the team together.

Additionally, there were some concerns that Michael Ryan might not recover to his top form prior to the ACL injury. And the Scorpions couldn't expect much help from the draft, as they had no first round pick, and needed to stockpile their picks for the next few years, anyway. There was a larger plan underway.

Lead Scout Brenden Babic had retired, and was replaced by Ian Raines, a gifted young evaluator of talent.

Contract re-negotiations are started at the beginning of the free agency period, so that the Scorpions can see what kind of money they have to work with.

JeebieD Mack, who is in the last year of his deal, and currently making $5.7 million, wants an extension that will carry a cap number in the $11-$13 million range over three years. Ouch. A compromise is struck, and Mack signs for five years, with a minimum salary this season, a bonus of $12.75 million, and future annual salaries of $5.7, $6.7, $7.7, and $11.7 million. It's a fair deal that will keep him on the team for at least four seasons, but will have to be re-negotiated in the fifth year.

Don't worry about Mike Ryan. He's a warrior. He spent the offseason working out at Kellen Winslow's Warrior Camp.

The tie to Captain Kidd is pretty strong. Call the ship the Kidd Guillome. His name, I don't know . . . the Dread Pirate Roberts?

thaht would have to be "Dread Pirate Rodney" though.

:) ;)

:p

Tempe, Arizona
Offseason, 2034
Part Two

The Scorpions were able to extend the contracts of all their key players, and negotiate enough spare cap space to address roster needs at the offensive line and in the defense. There were still holes to fill, but free agency wasn't the place to address them, at least not until after the draft.

Without any glaring talent requirements, and without a first-round pick, the Scorpions figured on signing undrafted rookies to fill the roster, and save the picks and cap space for a later date. The remaining picks for this year are sent to Tennessee and Cleveland for their first round picks next year.

The first round of the draft proceeds as follows:

Hmm... not a lot of interest in the whole pirate story arc.... should I just dump it?

No.

Ok... well, we need to drum up more interest in a pirate name/ship name.

I'm not going to call you the Dread Pirate Gila Monster. Sorry.

Darn.

This came up in a google search:

"Black Brilliant" (for my real name) and "Yardarm Cruikshank" (ardent enthusiast).

Another site: "Mad Roger Flint"

Perhaps "Mad Yardarm"?

As for ship names, how about "Defiant"?

The ship needs to be called "The Poop Deck."

AE's name needs to be The Evil Volunteer.







I got nothin'...

I second this.

Now to put it to a vote.
All in favor say "aye".
"Aye".
All opposed say "nay".
"..."
The Aye's have it.
Motion passes.
AE will be piloting "The Poop Deck"

SI

Meeting adjourned.

Poop deck rules.

Huzzah!

Yep. These are my readers.

I like the Evil Volunteer too.

Remember... you're not actually Evil. You're America's secret weapon against its unsavory enemies in the east...

How about the Out of Place Miner? :)

Las Vegas, Nevada
Postseason, 2034


The ACL injury to Michael Ryan had taken a toll. Ryan was still a very good quarterback, but his stats had suffered noticeably since his knee blew out.

Fortunately, the Scorpions were able to rely on the running of Wade "The Man of" Stiehl, who led the league with 1,944 yards at 4.67 per carry.

The Scorpions finished the regular season at 12-3-1, good enough for a division title and top seed in the playoffs.

They won the Divisional round against Washington by a score of 28-18, and captured the Conference title versus Carolina, 31-24. Ryan went 16-30 for 346 yards, and Stiehl had 30 carries for 170 yards.

The Super Bowl was in Las Vegas this year. The opponent was the San Diego Chargers. Franklin watched the game from his private box with John Smith.

"So, what are we going to do about the Bulldog project?" asked John.

"I don't know. If Stiehl keeps running like this, we're not going to need him for a while." Franklin replied.

"Two seasons All Pac-10. Not bad."

"Yeah, well, he's staying in school for a while, it seems. I have a contingency plan, if I need to stretch it out a bit longer."

"Well, Stiehl is 30 now. He can't keep this up for much longer."

"No, but I'd hate to run him out of here after all he's done. He's worked out much better than expected."

"True, but he's expensive. Might not be a bad idea to trade him while there's still value there."

"Maybe. We'll see. We have two more years. A lot can happen."

John changed the subject. "Didn't invite her out here again?"

"Nope."

"And why isn't she watching the Super Bowl with her boyfriend?"

"Because her boyfriend is in Northern California visiting family."

"You know, that relationship can't work."

"Why not?"

"Because there are too many secrets. Even if she knew, she'd probably freak. And she's a reporter. She graduates this year, and she's got jobs lined up at a few papers already. She could cause a lot of headaches."

"I'm not worried about that right now. Can we just watch the game?"

***

Arizona became the first team in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, defeating the Chargers 32-22.

Damn you and your bad knee, Mike Ryan! This is a passing team. A back with nearly 2000 yards is MAD I tell you! :mad:

It's disappointing. Ryan had maxed out ratings, and before the injury, a QB rating to match.

Now his ratings are still solid, but instead of in the 90's, he barely cracks 80 overall. His rating was WAY down this year. I'll post the stats tomorrow... but, basically, he went from being the #1 QB in the league to like #6 or 7... and I made no gameplan changes. In fact, he should have done better, as I made some improvements (not huge, but significant) to the O-line, and no major players on offense suffered any injury this season (one fullback missed a few weeks... that's about it.)

Mr. Ryan needs some nano-knees. Where's that FOF6 ideas thread . . .

I swear if this thread makes it to page 2 one more time . . .:mad:

Sorry... been real busy at work and at home lately... not much uninterrupted time for dynasty writing.

Having a baby counts as "busy." And the Cardinals have a very liberal Family Leave policy. Take your time.
:)

Thanks... there's more to it than that, if you can believe it. I'm dealing with:

* Psycho boss at work, throwing assloads of deadlines my way
* Week old baby girl, 17 month baby boy, and the 15 year old son who usually helps out is on a mission trip in Mexico.
* Brutal probate case ongoing - trial likely this week, could lose my home (long story, asswad relatives, blah blah blah)
* Ongoing coverage of the Michael Jackson trial (ok, I just threw that one in there)

Anyhow, serial fiction has still been on my mind, but I just haven't had time to make coherent posts with it yet... I have a lot of cool ideas about where things are going here (yes, we're going to call the ship the "Poopdeck"... and I've come up with a pirate name for Ardent... and a few of you other regulars might make it on the crew... ), so, hang tight... I'm not abandoning this by any means.

Story Card: Poopdeck's only true love is the sea. Says he likes women in his arms not on his hands. He brags that "No woman has been able to pin anything on him since he wore diapers."

Calcutta, India
March, 2034

Rudolph Krupp just wanted to die, but the damned Indians wouldn't let him.

Both legs were broken in more than one place. Both arms were hideously twisted, and his left hand was so badly mangled and burned it would never work right again. He couldn't walk. He could hardly breathe through the busted ribs, the blood in his lungs, and the incredible stench of the room he was kept in. In short, his life was hell, and he just wanted it to be over.

Nobody had met the ransom demand, and even though he had told his captors of his unique scientific knowledge the second day of his torture, they had refused to believe him, and granted him no mercy. It had been so long now, it seemed, that he had forgotten what sunlight felt like, or what clean air smelled like.

He had stopped eating days ago, but the Indians had force-fed him water and nutrients. He didn't even have the strength to puke. They would keep him alive as long as they wanted, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

***

Ted brought the submarine to a halt a quarter mile off the coast of India, just outside Calcutta. It was late at night, and safe to surface. Ardent climbed up to the deck with a pair of binoculars and looked westward towards the city.

"I can't believe we're this close. I think I can see a couple of people making out from here."

Ted replied. "They have no way of detecting us. We're invisible to sonar, radar, infrared, and any other means of detection. They'd have to crash into us to find us."

"We don't even have a crew yet. Think we can rescue that scientist?"

"We have to find him first."

"Got any idea how we manage that?"

"Yes. You stay with the boat. Launch the surveillance drones, and wait for my signal. I might need backup." Ted began to climb over the railing.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to swim ashore. Leave this to me. I have full communcations ability - I'll keep you posted."

"Whatever you say. But if you get lost, I'm steering this bucket back to the States, and Franklin can have his damned boat back."

"Just launch the drones, and watch for my signal." With that, Ted dove overboard and began swimming towards Calcutta.

woo.

SI

I'm a perv. Rock.

yes!

Life is worth living again.

Huzzah!

Calcutta, India
March 2034

If you had a friend or relative kidnapped in India, you only got one phone call. After that, you had to find a way to let the kidnappers know you had the ransom, and pray that they didn't kill or kidnap you as well.

Ted knew that kidnapping was essentially a state-sponsored business in India. He simply went to the nearest police station and asked about the status of the Krupp case. He left a mobile phone number with the detective and then got lost in one of the city's many marketplaces while he awaited a call.

***

Vasuman Narayan had been a gangster for as long as he could remember. Orphaned on the streets of Calcutta when he was four, he had known nothing but a life of crime and brutality. Today he was one of the most respected and feared crimelords in the country, and his business interests ranged from drugs and guns to murder and kidnapping.

He rarely got involved in the smaller details of his business - he had other men to manage the day-to-day operations - men he could trust, because their predecessors had been killed at the mere suspicion of impropriety. But one of his interests had drawn some attention recently. A German scientist that had been kidnapped a month ago was suddenly drawing interest from the Chinese government, of all places. Two men were in his office to discuss it. The first was a Chinese secret police agent. The second did all the talking.

"Thank you for agreeing to see us today, Mr. Narayan. We are honored to have an audience with you. My name is Doctor Deng Xiou."

Narayan smiled. "I am always happy to do business with my Chinese friends. What can I do for you today?"

"We would like to negotiate for custody of a, ahem, guest of yours. Doctor Rudolph Krupp."

"I see. And what would your interest be with the good doctor?"

"He has some scientific knowledge that the Peoples Republic of China would like to obtain. I assume he is still alive, and in good health?"

"I can assure you he is alive. Dead 'guests' profit no one. But his health is not so good. I'm afraid he hasn't cared much for our hospitality."

"Well, I'm sure we would be willing to compensate you handsomely for his... transfer. What did you have in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I've just received a call from a detective friend of mine who says the doctor has a relative who has come to Calcutta. Surely you can understand how I must at least hear what the family has to offer." Narayan smiled at his good fortune, and the pained look on Xiou's face - Dr. Krupp ought to smile as well, he thought; he had just about outlived his usefulness, and was scheduled to be dumped in a landfill sometime next week.

"I am sure we can make a competitive offer for Dr. Krupp's release. Please contact me at this number when you have some idea what it will take." Xiou handed him a card.

"But of course. Thank you for stopping by."

Narayan pondered the situation after the Chinese left. It would be best to let the Chinese win custody of the German - doing a favor for the Chinese government would certainly pay greater dividends than just selling the old fool back to his family. But there was no reason why he couldn't use the new bidder to increase the profit for him anyway.

The dastardly Chinese of the future enter the picture.


Tell

Calcutta, India
March, 2034

It was almost a day later before Ted got the phone call. His "mobile" phone was just a subroutine embedded in his skull.

"Mr. Rommel. We have your uncle. The ransom is $20 million American dollars."

That was a lot higher than the initial demand. No that it mattered. Ted replied, in a thick Austrian accent, "That is much higher than I was told to expect."

"Your uncle has drawn much interest from other parties who would like to retain his... services. $20 million, if you wish to see him again."

This was the tricky part. "I may be able to manage that. But I would like to have proof of life. Could I speak to him, please?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. Then, "Very well. But it will cost you. Deposit $1 million dollars in Hong Kong Republic Bank, account 112-23997K. Then you will get your phone call."

The line went dead. That would complicate things. He radioed the Poopdeck. "Captain, we've got a slight complication."

Ardent replied. "What?"

"I may be able to track Krupp down, but it's going to cost us $1 million."

Ardent chuckled. "Where the hell am I going to get that?"

"You'll have to bring the sub to periscope depth so we can get on the satellite to Franklin. I have the location for the guy I just talked to, but that's not going to do us much good. He could just be a messenger. I need to get Krupp on the phone."

"Alright. Stand by."

Ardent brought the Poopdeck up far enough to extend the communications antenna, and called Franklin. He filled him in on the details.

Franklin laughed. "No problem. I'll wire the money. As soon as he's free, I'll have John hack all that bastards accounts and take it all back, with plenty of interest. Tell Ted to expect the call soon - the money will be there shortly."

***

Narayan couldn't believe it. The dumb bastard must be in love with his uncle - he just wired a million bucks to an unnamed account just for a phone call. This deal was getting better all the time. He called one of his henchmen who was guarding the prisoner.

"Call this number and put that German fool on the phone for 30 seconds. Don't let him say anything important."

Narayan hung up. He would call the Chinese - the price for Krupp would have to go up again.

***

Ted got the call shortly after the money was wired. The surveillance satellites immediately went to work on triangulating the call source. In less than two seconds, less time than it took him to answer, he knew Krupp's location - an old sewage treatment plant just outside of town. Ted radioed the Poopdeck.

"Yeah?" Ardent answered.

"Surface the ship. Deploy the guns and get ready to provide cover fire. Open the flight deck - I'm calling the chopper. I'll radio back in a few - gotta take a call."

Ted answered the phone. "Yes?"

A hoarse voice spoke, "What? What? What is this? Who am I talking to?" Ted heard another voice telling the man to say hello to his nephew.

"My nephew? What nephew?"

Ted spoke. "Uncle Rudolph. This is your nephew Sam. I'm coming to get you. Keep your head down." Ted hung up. He was already heading towards the plant at a dead run.

The chopper appeared overhead a few moments later and lowered a cable and harness. Ted grabbed it and instructed the chopper to rise to 2000 feet and head over to the plant. The surveillance drones already had the area completely surveyed. By the infrared and electromagnetic scans, he could determine that Dr. Krupp was in a room on the first floor. There were three guards in the room next to him, including the man who had just let him make the phone call. There were five other guards around the perimeter of the facility.

They would be easy. The hard part was that the Indian military had no doubt been alerted to the presence of the helicopter, and, possibly, the Poopdeck. He would have to move fast. Ted radioed the ship.

"Captain, are you getting the surveillance."

Ardent replied. "Yep. This is so f'ing cool. Can these railguns really pick those guys off from here?"

"Yes. Program them for small explosives. Fire when ready."

The Poopdeck was armed with four guns - two machine guns and two cannons. They were not conventional weapons by any means. The rounds they fired were produced by nanomachines on demand - and nearly any sort of munitions imaginable was available. The machine guns had a rate of fire that dwarfed any conventional weapon. The cannons were the most sophisticated and accurate artillery ever developed. Small rounds no larger than beer bottle could be programmed for self guidance and could pack enough explosives to level a building.

Six rounds were fired from the cannons in under a second. One was programmed for the guard room inside, the other five for the individual patrols. The were self-guided, and arrived on target simultaneously five seconds after being fired. All eight guards were dead.

Ted let go of the harness, and fell 2000 feet into the room that now contained three dead guards. He landed deftly on his feet, and broke into the room containing Krupp. The man was in bad shape. Ted gently picked him up and immediately sedated him while carrying him to the roof of the building, where the helicopter was waiting for him.

As the chopper headed out to see, Ardent radioed him. "We've got incoming. Six Indian fast movers heading your way, and a destroyer heading mine."

"Dispatch the planes. We can submerge before the destroyer becomes a problem."

"Can I use the machine guns? The cannons don't seem very sporting."

"You're out of range for guns, and those planes will have me in sight soon."

"Yeah, you're right. Hold your course... wouldn't want you to drift into my lane of fire."

Ten seconds later all six planes disintigrated in balls of fire before their pilots ever knew they were being fired upon. Ted landed the chopper and brought the doctor to the medical bay. They submerged the sub and vanished.

***

Franklin received the news of the successful mission. Six Indian planes was a bit more attention that he would have liked, but, then again, they didn't have much of a crew available for any more finesse than that. John was already emptying the bank accounts of one Vasuman Narayan - an Indian crime lord and internationally wanted criminal.

"I wonder who else was interested in the Doctor - or do you think that was a bluff?"

John replied. "I don't think it was a bluff. I'm reading his phone records - he's been talking to the Chinese."

"Looks like we got him just in time then."

"Yes. But we need to keep an eye on the Chinese. I'm going to do some more research on this. I'd like to know exactly who is working on their nanotech program. We might have some more wet work for our Jolly Roger."

"That's not his name - didn't he tell you? He's calling himself Captain Flint now."

"Nice. All he needs is a parrot."

I demand a parrot!

And a wench.

And an eyepatch.

The wench comes later. I'll have to see what I can do about the parrot. Maybe some cybernetically enhanced macaw or something.... think "Laserbeak" from the Transformers... What the hell... this dynasty lost its grip on reality a long, long time ago...

I'm thinking the wench gets the eyepatch. Or maybe the parrot. I dunno... I gotta think about this one.

Me thinks me needs a cutlass and a patch for me eye. Garrh!

I'll be cutting your throats for posting before me. No one crosses Captain Flint!

A cutlass?

Ye be walking the plank when I sees you, you scurvey swine.

Couldn't find a parrot with an eyepatch on google in my couple of minutes searching, but I figure this could help him out:



SI

You know, with your time in The Box you really should have been able to crank out a few chapters...

A commercial helped me with another demand.

I demand a hook!

OK... time for some reader input here.

As you might already know, I just started a new job.

Of course, that means that I have a new computer. And, I don't have my old game on it. So, I can do one of two things here:

1. Re-boot this dynasty AGAIN. It's been done before. Like, 2 or 3 times. I can still find a way to re-introduce (or even maintain) the Ardent pirate storyline...
2. Dump the FOF altogether, and just turn this into a wacky serialized novel.

Thoughts?

Wait a minute...there's football in this dynasty?

If Ardent dies, I keel you.

Yeah, I actually had football in this dynasty. That was, I thought, part of the appeal - importing reader-suggested players into each draft. I guess now's the time to let me know if that's something you still want or not.

Oh, and Ardent doesn't die. But there's a pretty close call for him during an incident with an Okinowan hooker...

Keep the football. Keep the FOFC characters. Keep the hooker. And her Snapper (http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/foru...ad.php?t=39664)

Keep it. Keep it.

Alright. Time to whip out my lame story reboot plot device again.

Update is underway. I need the following:

• A name for a female antagonist/protagonist. Prefer one that doesn't sound like a crack whore or porn star. Bonus points given to suggestions based on FOFC women that might actually read this thread.
• List of folks who want to be "regulars" in the story (besides Ardent). Suggest names if you like. No, you can't all be pirates.
• Suggestion for NFL team to take over upon re-boot.

Get your feedback in here ASAP. Thanks!

Paris Hilton! oh wait you said not a crack or and porn star. oops

Damn- there go all of my female name ideas :(

SI

Kristin Pilotte, aka terpkristin.

Do I have a hook?

Guila Monsters. Okay, Chiefs.

The Kansas City Guila Monster. ;)

And I'd love a role. Just don't make me Indian. I hate curry.

ohh iwant to be a regular : how about Nicholas Thomas Noonan other wise known as the Deacon.

Take over the Cardinals and move them to Canton. More Bulldogs!

OK... here's the deal... we're going back in time (again) to the mid-to-late 60's. We'll take over a ball team in 1970 or so... right about the time the league expands, and when historical draft files are available. We'll continue to add readers to the league and such, but I want to have a cast of regulars, too.

We need at least one woman.

I was leaning towards taking over a crappy expansion team.

If you did a crappy expansion team, you could do the Seahawks and work in some technology based Seattle plotline.

I'm in for a reoccuring character role but can't help with the woman thing

SI

Draft files you say?

Expansion teams you say?

Damn it, I may have to buy FOF and run a TCY/FOF dynasty after all.

I wonder how Ardent fits in. I'm sure terpkristin would be game.

I love finding my name showing up in places where I'm so confused as to what's going on...

I second gila monsters, though...they just sound cool.

/tk

There will be no Gila Monsters. There will be some slight revisionist history with the NFL circa 1970, but that's about it.

Somwhere in the Caribbean
May, 2040



The U.S.S. Eisenhower had been decommissioned by the United States Navy over ten years ago, and thanks to the creative fiscal policy of the administration in power at the time, it had been sold off to a private buyer.


That buyer was Constantine Hilton. Constantine had won the aircraft carrier in an online auction, and immediately proceeded to make it his home. While Hilton was born wealthy, he had invested wisely in a diverse number of businesses, and by the time he was 30, he was one of the richest men in the world.


The Eisenhower still boasted many of the features and armament she had been equipped with while a part of the US Navy. The fact that she was a floating home and office for one of the world’s leading industrialists made her an attractive target, but the state of the art weaponry on board kept most pirates at bay. There was no longer a Navy Air wing on board, and the crew had been reduced substantially, but the ship still functioned as a small city of its own, and Hilton had every comfort on board that one could imagine. There were two private Learjets (specially retrofitted for carrier takeoff and landing) and four helicopters on deck. Below, in addition to spacious living quarters and fully equipped offices, were a greenhouse, movie theater, bowling alley, basketball court, and two indoor swimming pools. The ship had all the amenities of a luxury cruise liner, built into a swift, powerful naval vessel.


Constantine preferred cruising the Caribbean, and rarely sailed outside the Atlantic. Most of his business was in the United States and Europe, and he took the Lear when it was necessary for him to be anywhere else. He lived on the ship full time, with his only daughter. Her mother had left years ago, preferring life on shore over living at sea.


Kristin Hilton was a 12 year old prodigy. She had already earned a B.S. in Physics, and had offers for post-graduate scholarship programs around the world, but college bored her, and she now preferred to do her own research aboard the Eisenhower. She had almost unlimited resources, and wasn’t really accountable to anyone. And she was very, very close to a major breakthrough.




***


Captain Flint and his invincible sub, the Poopdeck, had become the stuff of nautical legend. There were no photos of him, his crew, or his ship. Only eyewitness accounts that spoke of an invisible ship that struck swiftly and without warning, and had, over the last few years, plundered countless billions from merchant vessels and sunken dozens of military ships.


In fact, they had been too successful. Trade in Asia was now done almost exclusively by truck, train, or airplane now. The economies of several nations had been nearly crippled, and the governments were starting to talk about normalizing relations with the West again. The Australian black market had been flooded with contraband, making each shipload less valuable than the one before it.


In short, Ardent had done his job with the sort of brutal efficiency one would expect from a top naval commander. He had assembled a small crew of reliable men who took pride in the crisp, professional execution of their duties.


But they were getting bored. There were few ships left to plunder, and even an entire flotilla couldn’t pose much of a challenge to the Poopdeck. So, Franklin was on his way to the ship now to meet with Ardent and his crew. He had new jobs lined up for all of them. It was time to get out of the pirate business.

I'm a bad man.

Word

So Captain Ardent is gonna kidnap and marry the 12 year old Kristen? Frightening...

See what the box does to you?

For me, the disturbing part is the "12 year old" :D

/tk

I would think the "marrying ardent" part would be most disturbing... but, hey, love @ FOFC... I can dig it...

I need names for you guys. Anyone who wants in the story had better post a name suggestion or two quickly...