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ROYAL
AFRICA COMPANY LOGO
INT. WINDSOR CASTLE - KING’S PRIVATE CHAMBERS - DAY (SEPTEMBER, 1660)
A gloomy, damp light filters through the tall, leaded windows of a grand chamber. The
air is thick with the mingled scents of woodsmoke from a roaring log fire, stale food, and an underlying muskiness that even liberal applications of perfume cannot entirely mask. Rats can be heard scurrying in the wainscoting.
KING CHARLES II (30s, weary but with a sharp wit) and his younger brother,
JAMES STUART II (20s, ambitious, restless) sit on ornate chairs facing the fire. A heavy oak table between them is littered with gnawed bones, half-eaten pastries, and several empty wine goblets. Both men have clearly indulged.
CHARLES
(Sighing, waving a hand dismissively)
Pah! This fortress, built by the Norman bastard nigh six centuries hence, doth still offer such cheer as a soggy dungeon.
JAMES
(Nodding, picking at a stray fig)
After the Norman invasion of England. Aye, brother. Our father, the blessed Charles, did languish within these very walls ere his… untimely departure in ’49.
CHARLES
Verily. That May fellow, the architect upon whom I lavish coin, hath a keen eye for banishin’ such grim recollections with his… baroque fancies. But Jesu, doth the man move with the speed of a slumbering snail!
JAMES
Baroque extravagances, Majesty, do not spring forth cheaply nor swiftly. Which brings us, I surmise, to my humble proposition.
Charles raises a knowing eyebrow, reaching for another goblet of wine.
CHARLES
The year doth smile upon us, James. The Spanish dogs have ceased their snarlin’. Time, perchance, to replenish the royal coffers… and indulge in a few more of Master May’s… flourishes. The colonies, too, cry out for… tending.
JAMES
The Caribbean, thank Cromwell’s iron will and that valiant Welshman,
Morgan, is ours for the takin’. Blessed
Jamaica, and Port Royal – a most apt name, wouldst thou not agree?
CHARLES
Indeed. The Dutch and Spanish vermin did scurry back to their holes. That Parliamentarian, though a prickly thorn, did possess a certain… martial vigour. But there is more to be plucked than mere dominion, brother. Whispers reach my ears of crops flourishin’ beyond harvest, choked only by a want of hands, supplies, and vessels. The City merchants stand ready to fund the voyages, with Rupert of the
Rhine himself lendin’ his counsel. But they crave… assurances.
CHARLES
Assurances, sayst thou? Of what ilk?
JAMES
Gold flows freely from the Gambia, and other trinkets await a firm hand. What is needed is… protection from rival traders. A Royal shield against competition.
CHARLES
Protection, eh? A delicate matter. How, then, might such a boon be… achieved?
JAMES
Sire, a Royal Charter would suffice. Limited, at first, to…
CHARLES
Suffice! Thou speakest as if such parchments sprout upon hedgerows!
Both men share a wry smile. James idly spins his goblet. Charles tosses a chunk of meat to the hounds lounging near the hearth.
JAMES
Well, in a manner of speakin’, Majesty, parchment doth hail from the humble
tree n' cotton plants. A form of arboreal bounty, if you will.
CHARLES
Thou art a rogue, James.
The King’s tone is light, amusement dancing in his eyes.
JAMES
That is the lure of gold, Majesty. And a goodly share thereof had best find its way to the royal purse, lest… well, let us not dwell on unpleasantries. Now, the matter of labour. We require field hands. Ships laden with… workers. The plantations devour them with an insatiable appetite. Once… subdued, I hear the Africans possess a singular diligence.
CHARLES
So, thou wouldst have me affix the royal seal to such an… enterprise? A cautious test of the waters, thou suggestest? Not revealin’ our full hand at the outset? And if fortune smiles, then a more… formal mandate? So, these ‘workers’ shall be conveyed, but not as… labelled cargo. Not at first blush. Such is the desire of thy backers?
JAMES
Our competitors, I hear, are well advanced in such… logistics. Thou shalt have thy papers, Majesty. Merely set down the company’s appellation, and my scribe shall convey it to the royal quill for the official seals. Thy writ shall be granted on the promise of
African gold repaying the merchants and thy oversight. And these… strong Negroes… shall till the fields in our colonies. I insist, however, that those who survive the passage be… well-tended. Fed and housed adequately. For a healthy beast labours with greater yield.
JAMES
With all the… usual precautions, Majesty?
CHARLES
Aye, caveats aplenty! Forts at waystations, soldiers to quell unrest, a task force for those inclined to… wander. Any vessel violatin’ our royal exclusivity shall be deemed forfeit – taken, sunk, or prized. The spoils divided equally: half for thy merchants, half for the Crown. How doth that strike thine ear?
JAMES
It sounds as the answer to a maiden’s prayer, highness. Most graciously accepted, and with the deepest gratitude of our merchant and banking consortium, I warrant.
CHARLES
(Nodding slowly)
Aye, aye, aye. Now, what of the Spanish dogs?
JAMES
The peace holds… tenuously. Cromwell’s demise hath left England… somewhat adrift. Would that
Spain would but sign a formal treaty, to solidify this… détente.
James sighs, running a hand through his thick, slightly disheveled hair. The flickering firelight casts long shadows across their faces. The weight of a nation’s nascent, and morally ambiguous, enterprise hangs heavy in the air.
FADE OUT
>>>
SCENE 1
King
of the slave traders. The Duke of York, Prince James II, was responsible for
the deaths of thousands of Africans, and other human rights abuses. Not to
mention kidnapping. You could be forgiven for thinking they are something
out of Black Adder.
PROLOGUE:
ROYAL
AFRICAN COMPANY - King Charles
II, Royal Charter James Stuart II,
transport goods from Africa: Bloody
Triangle.
SCENE
1. THE
BATTLE OF OCRACOKE - Lt Robert Maynard, Blackbeard's
curse, beheading &
torturous interrogation on the
Adventure
SCENE
2. EARTHQUAKE
JAMAICA - Present Day - An earthquake hits Port Royal,
disturbing the sunken city & Palisadoes cemetery.
SCENE
3. BLUE SHIELD ENGLAND -
Blue
Shield, Newcastle UK, UNESCO
requests Storm catalogue underwater city UNEP
World
Heritage Site.
SCENE
3.1. SWASHBUCKLING
- John tries out Dan's VR sword fencing program, then duel with real pirate
cutlasses, Hal keeping score.
SCENE
4. HENRY
MORGAN'S DEATH - Henry Morgan has a heart attack; funeral ceremony at Palisadoes
cemetery, old Port Royal.
SCENE
5. SUNKEN
CITY SURVEY - Present Day, Swann's sensors scan the ocean bed, revealing mausoleum former Governor of Jamaica.
SCENE
6. JUNE
1692 TSUNAMI - Jamaica, June 7th, an earthquake hits
Port Royal, then a tsunami washes the pirate haven
under the sea.
SCENE
6.1. GHOSTS
BLACKBEARD & MORGAN - Spectral figures cheer on John Storm as
he searches Henry's Palisadoes crypt for clues.
SCENE
7. HENRY
MORGAN'S COFFIN - John Storm & ROV,
comes face to face with Henry's skeletal remains. Finds interesting wooden engraving.
SCENE
8. BBC
JILL BIRD - London. John
Storm's finds lost Henry Morgan's pirate remains. "And for those of you wondering,
there was no treasure."
SCENE 9. OPERATION
HISPANIOLA - British Geographical Society,
& Royal Navy fund Lord Huntington's
expedition to recover relics in the Caribbean.
SCENE
10. SHIP'S
COOK - William Gray helps John Long's cut-throats to crew for
Huntington's Hispaniola, Long a dab
hand on the galley.
SCENE
11. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOS - Huntington
(BGS
bigwig) asks John Storm for help with
shipwreck survey - meet in the Caribbean, Haiti.
SCENE
12. SKELETON
ISLAND - Intrigued by map proffered by Lord Huntington, John
agrees to switch attention to location, to coast of Panama. .
SCENE
13. SANTA
CATALINA - Colombian,
Mexican,
Panamanian,
Nicaraguan
patrols re: 'Satisfaction'
& hunt for Aztec
gold, Spanish
Conquistadors.
SCENE
14. TREASURE ISLAND -
Hurricane
Iota erased map clues, Isla Providencia.
Longstride believes location of Blackbeard's/Morgan's treasure.
SCENE
15. KIDNAP -
Black Jack
& Billy Bones kidnap
Dan, Cleopatra - lock in Hispaniola with
Tremaine. Hal alerts John to events via BioCore.
SCENE
16. DOUBLE CROSS - Maynard
pact with Spanish
Navy to blockade Caribbean to capture John & Swann. Longstride deal Aztec
Golden
Skull.
SCENE
17. BLACKBEARD'S CURSE - John retakes Swann, Hal immobilizes Black Jack and Billy
Bones and rescues prisoners on Hispaniola.
SCENE
18. MORGAN'S TREASURE SHIP - John deciphers carving
code helped Dan and Cybercore
Genetica. Dives to find privateer's shipwreck.
SCENE
19. BILLION DOLLAR DEAL - John
negotiates with Panama, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador & Blue
Shield for % salvage based on wreck video.
SCENE
20. BLOCKADE RUNNER - Swann navigates through
Spanish
Armada & Royal Navy
blockade in stealth mode, invisible to radar.
SCENE
21. BERMUDA TRIANGLE - Pirates
head into
Bermuda Triangle, Colombian Navy in pursuit:
BBC Sky News. Never to be seen again.
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