From where she stood on the ship, she could see for miles out over the tranquil aqua surface of the ocean. Her mouth was set in a straight line and her eyes were narrowed, just staring out to sea, with her features set like she had been carved out of stone.

These were all warning signs that something was not right with her. The French captain took mental note of all these things as he came to stand beside her. He was watching her very closely, after a few minutes he asked, "What is wrong, what do you see out there?"

With a start the young woman leaped around and upon seeing the French captain returned to watching the sea. The woman said nothing at first. She almost acted as if she had not heard what was said to her. After a moment she took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh, before answering the captain's questions.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I think that's what is bothering me." She replied shaking her head as if in disbelief.

"Is that not a good thing that you see nothing?" The captain asked in a heavily French accent, and a bit more at ease.

"No it is not good. There are no fish jumping, no whales breaking the surface of the water for air, no dolphins or no porpoises riding the waves at the bow, no birds." Then as an afterthought, she stated, "Not that there would be any birds out this far at sea. There is no sign of life anywhere, but here on this ship. Nothing to break the surface of the water, not even a ripple of a wave, it's just flat water for as far as the eye can see. Not only is it empty, it's so very quiet, even the water against the bow of the ship has a certain kind of quiet to it. There is not even a stray cloud in the sky. Just an empty sea, like the sea is just waiting for something to happen. I just don't know what it is waiting for and I find it very disturbing. Yes something, is not right about all of this, and I don't like it, not one bit! It is just to unnerving for me, not to be a little disturbed, or uneasy." The woman informed the captain, with a slight edge to her voice. "I don't like it, not one bit!!"

The captain, who had been sailing for years, did not share Miss Anne's feelings of doom. He had worked up to captain of a ship from being his father's cabin boy. But in his own mind he breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed her worried feelings, for he had seen the sea just like this and it was good sailing weather. The captain was also no fool and didn't voice his dismissal of what Miss Anne had said. For the captain, however, knew about Anne's talents or special gifts, if one could call them that, and said nothing to her. He did, however, shake his head and looked out over the water to truly reassure himself.

The captain turned back to the lady at his side to say something insignificant, such as tell her not to worry and things would work out for the better. He noticed, just in time though, that Miss Anne's eyes were closed. To anyone who knew her at all this was a sign that she was trying to concentrate or listen for something, or trying to figure something out.

Then without warning Anne's eyes shot open, she turned around, and stared with her eyes wide at nothing. Then after a moment she yelled, as she pointed out to sea. "There it is, a mast! I knew something was not quite right with this day, I just knew it! Now I know I was right!"

Just a few moments later the look out, up in the crow's nest, found the top of a mast of a ship and yelled down to the deck. As the captain looked out over the water again, the unknown ship was heading straight towards them.

On the deck of the 'TIGRESS' no one was moving to do anything, all the people were watching the other ship. The crew couldn't see any more than the mast of the other ship and couldn't identify it as a friend or foe. The only movement that could be seen on the deck came from Anne as she turned from the railing and started to walk across the deck to go below to her cabin, to wait out what ever happened next. She did not want to be in the way of a fight or the pirates. All other eyes watched the horizon and the mast of the unknown ship. Some of the crew talked quietly among themselves voicing the question that burned on every one's mind; what is the other ship and what does its crew want? The captain was among those watching the other ship and a knot was slowly forming in his stomach, he had a feeling this was what Miss Anne had been talking about.

The captain turned from the railing and watching the other ship, to turn his attention back to Miss Anne, but she was heading across the deck. The captain was about to ask her what she thought about this other ship, but just as the captain was about to ask her and before she went below, Anne turned back to face the captain as if she had read the captain's unasked question. "The other ship you see there, is ..." she stopped and pointed at the other ship. Then she continued in a calm voice with an even calmer stance. Before she went on with what she had been saying, Anne took another deep breath and let it out in a long drawn out sigh.

"The other ship you see here is, well they are pirates. The way I understand it, you have choices, captain. One; is to try and fight the pirates and possibly have them blow this fine ship out from under us, as well as kill your crew in the process and the ones that are lucky enough to survive the fight only to be taken prisoner and there is no hope then or with that option. Two; you can just kill all of us now and be done with it, leaving you to deal with the pirates. I will tell you this captain, I won't die at your hand, so I too will deal with the pirates, in my own way of course. The third option is to ..." Anne paused again, turned back to the stairs for she could no longer stand the sight of the other ship, now clearly visible on the horizon. Again before she continued, Anne took another deep breath and let it out, then went on. "Just surrender without a fight, saving every-ones life, my ship, and a lot of hassle, the only problem is that we will all be taken prisoner." Then to herself, at least for a while any way, for I don't plan on staying long, I want to get home sometime and soon! After this thought, Anne spoke to the captain again. "The third option is what I would highly recommend you do, captain!! It is the easiest way." Anne finished with a firm tone to her voice, to a now very puzzled captain of the 'TIGRESS.'

The captain watched Anne go below decks with a lot of questions raging war on his mind that didn't have answers right now, do to the confusion he now found himself in. He also guessed that something would happen soon and sometime soon he would have the answers that he needed. He just hoped he would be happy with those answers. He then decided two things: one that he would have to be satisfied with the answers that were given, because there would be nothing else forth coming especially with or from her involved. The second thing he decided was that all his questions would not be answered, and he would have to be content with that as well.

So he just stood there and watched Anne disappear below deck. He thought about what Miss Anne had said about the pirates. It came to him just what she had said and he thought to himself, pirates don't take prisoners, or do they? I don't know for sure, but I thought that they only take dead bodies and riches. If this is truth then we are dead any way, but Miss Anne probably knows more about these kinds of things than I do, so I...