The Diplomatic Mission

Initially on the convoys as part of the musical entertainment, Kiri could hear and smell the trouble before she saw it.  The crash as the first cannons hit the ship portside shook her off her feet, and the smell of burning furs reached her nostrils before she realized what was happening.  Pulling herself up off the floor, she considered her next course of action.  Grabbing her lute and sheathing her dagger, she threw on her clothes and prepared to attempt an infiltration of the attacking vessel, sneaking out the port hole with her lithe frame, and clinging to the outside of the boat as she made her way to the prow.

As she climbed onto deck, she felt a strong arm yank her upwards and hold a blade to her neck.  She thought she had been silent - apparently not.

"This one's pretty - soft. She'll fetch a good ransom. If not - she can be sold to the slavers," came a gruff voice from behind her.  The heat of the fires became more intense as the flames grew closer around her, suffocating her. She couldn't tell what was going on behind her, but it wasn't good.

A voice nearby yelled through the screams, "Take her to the captain then. Here!" the man holding her lurched as he caught something in his free hand, still pushing the blade hard against her neck, "Bind and blind her.  We'll take her underground."

Kiri soon found her hands focred together and a rough cloth tied around them, followed by the man with the blade binding another strip of cloth around her eyes.  As she was forced to walk forwards, and felt herself lifted off her feet and flung over a shoulder, she thought.  Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.  They wouldn't be too worried about talking around a helpless prisoner.  Maybe Kiri could determine the cause of the pirate uprising from her position...  and then smoke them out from the inside - literally.  She decided to play helpless, and steeled her face for the unpleasantness ahead.

Prompt #2 - The Convoys

Alongside the brave beings of the shipping vessels, your character will fend off and outfly the scalliwags of the void. The massive cargo cruisers are slow and difficult to maneuver, but they often employ swift guardian ships to protect them. Does your character pilot a ship in the convoy? Have they been hired as part of the on-ship guardian crew to repel boarders? Is your character a trader or cargo worker who was simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time? Draw or write your character as part of one of the convoys. Your piece must include your character and either space ships, freighter cargo or treasure, or an encounter with pirates.