Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear, and raise what's left of the flag for me - SCP Foundation

look it had to be done

Listen while you read:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0krxo46Ifbo

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F.A.Q.

Dr. Cimmerian's head exploded in a cloud of red mist. The man who'd fired the shot was hanging from a rope off the side of a wooden sailing ship that was inexplicably floating in the air, just above the banner that said "SCP Annual Firearm Re-certification and Family Barbecue". The banner was on fire and, for the moment, strung between two wooden posts in the parking lot of the outdoor gun range. The food from the backs of trucks and vans wafted in the air along with the acrid smell of black powder.

The Foundation staff in the crowd reached for their weapons and opened fire on the ship above them. The bullets bounced off an invisible wall, some ricocheting back into the crowd. The wooden sailing ship moved forward in the air, with black sails flapping in the wind. Dr. Shaw moved towards the gun range's parking lot and settled behind a large company van he knew was bullet proof. Dr. Clef and Dr. Rights were already crouched down behind it.

"They got Lombardi," Rights said as Shaw came around the corner.

"Kondraki and Strelinkov too." Shaw offered. "They're fucking efficient."

Dr. Clef shook his head. "They know what they're doing. If I were gonna launch a surprise attack that's who I'd take out first."

Shaw and Rights squinted at Clef for a moment as the sailing ship drifted over their heads.

Clef pursed his lips and looked hurt. "I said if".

A barrage of fire rained down on the group from above as the sailing ship moved in their direction. Half of Right's face exploded onto the pavement. Clef screamed at the sky and emptied his guns into the invisible shield between him and his enemy, someone on board the ship returned a volley of bullets that sank into his torso. Clef dropped the guns and fell forward onto his face.

Dr. Shaw waited for a bullet to find him, but instead a net fell from the sky. Shaw tried to run but it caught his left foot and he found himself being dragged away from the ground. But only a little. The ship turned hard and Shaw smacked into the van, causing it to rock as he was dragged along, and then over the top of it. The ship then began to gain altitude.

Shaw was feeling a sense of vertigo looking at the world upside down, with the ground beneath him and the sky above. It was at that moment he smacked into one of the wooden posts in the parking lot and was knocked unconscious.

"Oy. Captain. He's awake."

Shaw's mouth was dry and his head was still spinning. He could tell he was laying on a wooden floor, and he tried not to vomit from the nausea. "I'm pretty sure I have a concussion."

"Aye. But Doctor Shaw says you'll live." His own voice answered back.

Dr. Shaw looked up at the sky. It was pitch black with no moon or stars or clouds. He leaned forward and looking around he realized he was on the deck of a ship.

Wait.

A ship had attacked them.

"You killed people!"

"Aye," the same voice answered back. Dr. Shaw saw the man who was speaking looked exactly like he did, but was dressed in a bright purple and yellow coat, a large purple hat with a peacock feather on the side, and big black boots. The man also had a thick brown beard with a variety of jewelry weaved into it. The majority of them were silver with a large ruby at the center. Some were amulets, others rings. There were also a couple of smaller earrings like the one Dr. Shaw wore himself.

"Who are you?" Dr. Shaw asked. At this point the rest of the ship's crew had gathered around them as he'd stirred awake, and now were crowding in to get a look at him. Some looked like him, some wore faces he didn't recognize, both male and female, a few were walking upright but were clearly various ape species. All of them looked a little bit dirty and a little bit ragged.

"Captain Shawbeard. We were hoping you'd join the crew. Sorry. Me crew."

"Ever think about just asking?" Dr. Shaw rubbed the back of his head.

"Aye, we usually do, but your Dr. Clef was serving meat from SCP-008 victims. We shot all the infected in the head so's…"

Dr. Shaw's eyes went wide. "He said it was a secret family recipe! I was just about to eat some!"

There was a silence for several minutes and then a ripple of laughter. "Aye. If you don't want to join us you can go back. We'll show you how we knew."

Dr. Shaw slowly got up from the deck. "Are you kidding me? I've wanted to be a pirate since I was a little kid."

Once he was standing Dr. Shaw could see over the sides of the ship. On either side was a pitch black liquid that looked like water. "What is this place?"

Shawbeard laughed. "The sea-between-lands my friend. The place between dimensions where we can live free."

The whole crew jolted as a large crack rang out through the dark and silent sky. Shawbeard's eyes narrowed and he called up to the crow's nest. "Who be shooting at us?"

The man at the top of the main-mast looked through a small spyglass. Moments later he called down. "Captain! The shark punchers've found us!"

Shawbeard leaned back and shouted at the crew. "Get to your posts you swine! Load the cannons! Drop the sails!"

Dr. Shaw looked on as the rest of the ship's crew began to get to work. He shouted after Shawbeard who was making his way aft to the ship's wheel. "What do you want me to do?"

Shawbeard laughed and looked back. "Hoist the fucking colors!"