Veronica sat lazily in her cabin aboard the [i]Dauntless[/i] with a parchment filched from a merchant ship a few days ago. They had dozens of them, each the same. It had bothered Veronica that things had gotten so bad in the empire, and these parchments brought her worry to a peak. That was why, according to the map and compass on the table in front of her, they were headed for the city of Dramon. Normally, this would be a death sentence. Veronica and her crew were wanted several times over for their exploits, and all aboard would surely hang should they be caught. But the parchment that Veronica held was one of desperation. It spoke of things so dire that even Veronica felt squeamish. Her profits had doubled with the increased traffic among the sea lanes, but she had been feeling a looming sense of guilt for each ship looted. Even with instructions for the crew to take only what they needed the feelings of remorse were not eager to fade away.

Thus, Veronica was now sailing for Dramon. She had discussed the matter with the crew and they had put it to a vote. Surprisingly, many of the crew members had felt the same way that Veronica did about the increased despair among the kingdom. Of course, there was also the problem that if the kingdom fell, so would their lifestyle. With a surprisingly one-sided vote, the crew agreed to take this chance to earn both freedom and glory. A knock upon the door to her cabin roused Veronica from the fog that had addled her mind. Tossing the parchment upon her desk, Veronica stood and walked before her desk while she called for the person at the door to come in. A few moments after she had done so the door opened and in stepped Veronica's first mate, Jess. Jess was younger than Veronica by a year or two, and was an orphan that had stowed away on one of the merchant ships her parents had raided. Not wanting to leave the girl to her fate, Veronica's parents took her in.

A smile crept to Veronica's lips as she saw Jess, and soon after she said. "You have news to report?" Jess was stiff at attention when she said. "Yes captain, Dramon has come into view, we'll be arriving shortly." Veronica nodded and said. "Very well, you may leave if you wish, Jess." Giving a salute, Jess left to return to her duties. Veronica stepped out of her cabin a short time later, telescope in hand. She walked to the bow of the ship and lifted the device to her eye, scanning the docks of Dramon as they approached. Veronica ordered the crew to make ready and strike the colors, they didn't want a fight on their hands.

The crew secured the cannons and made sure to close all of their ports, the more nimble of the crew climbed up the mast to lower the flags to signal that she ship wasn't going to be a threat. After roughly half an hour, the [i]Dauntless[/i] pulled into the port of Dramon and Veronica departed ashore. She told the crew to make ready for an emergency departure encase negotiations fell flat, and made her way towards the palace. Around ten minutes later, Veronica made her way up the palace steps and produced the letter she had previously been reading. The guards allowed her in, but Veronica made it clear that she would be keeping her personal belongings with her, weapons included.

Six minutes later, Veronica walked into the chamber where Janus and Elendi were present. Giving a slight bow, Veronica held up the letter with a smile and said. "Your majesty, I believe there is a bargain in our future."