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Description
June 1, 1813; Off the coast of Boston, Massachusetts

The Aquila and the HMS Shannon were anchored side-by-side in the ocean, waiting for their prey. They'd chosen this location just in case Lawrence had not received Broke’s challenge before setting sail. This spot was on the Templar’s planned route, so he'd pass through these waters even if the message hadn't reached him in time.

Aveza stood next to Arnold and Connor on the deck of the Aquila. She held the spyglass up to her eye and scanned the horizon for the USS Chesapeake. Nothing yet, but they were ready.

Aveza could hear Captain Broke drilling his men aboard his ship, “Throw no shot away. Aim every one. Keep cool. Work steadily. Fire into her quarters – maindeck to maindeck, quarterdeck to quarterdeck. Don't try to dismast her. Kill the men and the ship is yours.”

Aveza kept those words in mind. This was her first fight at sea, and though she had Connor and Arnold by her side to help her, she still wanted to make sure they made as few screw-ups as possible. She held up the spyglass ahead. She saw nothing, but a crew member's call from up on the crow's nest told her all she needed.

“Ship ahead!” he called. “Coming in from behind the rocks! It's our target, men!”

The crew of both ships began hurrying to their battle stations. Aveza rushed to the wheel and her friends rushed to her side. Soon enough, the Chesapeake came sailing into view. It seemed to slow a bit as its crew recognized the battle-ready ships. Arnold held up his spyglass.

“There he is,” he said, passing the spyglass to Aveza. “James Lawrence.”

Aveza looked towards the enemy ship's wheel and found her target behind it. He was frantically barking something at his men, who seemed nervous and unprepared. Good.

The Assassins and the British waited. Neither side made a move. All three ships stood motionless in the water. Both sides waited for the other to attack first.

Then suddenly, a distant roar was heard as the Chesapeake unleashed its mortars. The cannonballs came hurdling towards the two allied ships.

The Assassins’ eyes widened as the fireballs came towards them. Connor quickly turned to the crew and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Brace!”

The crew didn't hesitate. Everyone on the ships ducked down as the mortars flew over their heads, only just missing them. The alarm bells began to ring as they stood back up and sprang into action.

“Full sail!” Aveza called as she gripped the wheel. The sails unfurled and both ships started sailing toward their enemy.

Once they were close enough, the Shannon unleashed its own cannons, hitting the enemy ship in several places. First hit to the Assassins.

Aveza brought the Aquila around to be parallel with the Chesapeake, and then fired their own broadsides at the Templar ship. Another hit. The crew cheered their short victory until the Chesapeake fired another round and hit them back. The Assassins stumbled upon impact but quickly balanced themselves.

The Chesapeake fired again, this time at the Shannon, and missed. The Shannon turned a bit and fired back, landing another hit.

Aveza was about to comment on the easiness of the battle, but the Aquila was hit again before she could. She called for half sail and turned the ship to face the back of the Chesapeake as they slowed. She ordered another round of fire, which landed only a few hits. She swore under her breath.

The Chesapeake started making a comeback as it began to slow down and let off more shots, doing a good amount of damage on the Assassins and their allies. Another round, the Aquila shook. They tried firing back, and missed again.

They weren't done with their target though, and the battle raged on.

The Shannon started coming in close to the Chesapeake in such a way that told the Assassins that the British planned to board. And so Aveza yanked on the wheel and steered the Aquila to follow their lead. The Aquila managed to reach the Chesapeake first, and the crew wasted no time in boarding. They began shouting orders at each other. Hooked ropes were tossed onto the Chesapeake, connecting the two ships. Connor grabbed his tomahawk and Arnold drew his sword. Aveza stepped back from the wheel and grabbed her own sword as well. Connor and Arnold ran to the edge of the ship with the rest of the crew, lunging onto the Chesapeake ready to fight.

Aveza had a different plan, though. She ran towards the Aquila’s mast and hopped up onto one of the pulley systems that were attached to it. She sliced its rope with her sword and gripped it tight as gravity sent the lighter end of the rope soaring up the pulley with her in tow.

Her momentum carried her up to the top of one of the sails. She climbed along the rigging until she reached the tip. She quickly shot dead the two American snipers up on the masts of the Chesapeake before leaping onto the enemy ship's rigging. She scurried above the battle that raged below. She was glad to see that her friends were still alive and fighting hard. She quickly located Lawrence, and climbed to a spot she could shoot him from.

He was shouting at his men. “Carry on, men! We cannot let the Assassins win this fight! We've done so well to serve our cause on these seas, and we won't let them ruin it now! Tell the men to fire faster! Don't give up the ship!”

Aveza quickly drew her pistol and took aim at the Templar. She pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bullet smacked into his side, but he was still alive. Aveza swore under her breath and tried to fire another shot, but another soldier had helped bring Lawrence below decks before she could.

By then, the British had begun to board too. Pretty soon, Broke and his men joined the cacophony of clashing steel as well.

Aveza jumped down and stabbed two Americans with her hidden blades as she landed. She looked at Arnold, who she'd just landed next two.

“Evenin’,” she said jokingly.

“Afternoon,” he joked back. The two stood back-to-back, blades raised. They cut down a few more enemies. Aveza tried looking for a route below decks. Her search quickly came to an end when someone accidentally shot a nearby stack of gunpowder barrels, which exploded and caused the floor beneath her to give way. She yelled as she fell with a thud. She quickly stood back up and dusted herself off.

“Aveza!” called Arnold from above. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine,” she called back. “Don't worry. I'm going to go look for Lawrence.”

Arnold nodded and went back to the fight. Aveza got to work on finding her target.

There were still plenty of enemies to worry about on the lower levels, but not as much as above. Aveza managed to slip past most of them undetected.

Eventually, she found Lawrence sitting in the medical room, surrounded by a group of his men. Aveza drew her sword.

“Captain Lawrence,” she said. “This fight ends now.”

Lawrence’s men went to grab their swords but Lawrence stopped them. He scowled and painfully stood.

“You little vermin,” he said to Aveza. “You dare come in here and challenge me? I rule these seas! The Templars rule these seas! I won't let you take them from us.”

“The people will no longer have to live in fear of your tyranny,” said Aveza, pointing her sword at the Templar, “and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of it.”

Lawrence scowled and drew his own sword. “Then come at me, Assassin!” he said. “Let's settle this with honor!”

Aveza nodded. The two stood in the middle of the room, swords drawn. A small crowd of now scared American soldiers gathered around them to watch. Both sides made the first move. Their swords rang as they clashed. Lawrence yelled as he swung low. Aveza quickly blocked the blow and swung back. She missed.

The two danced around each other, taking swings where they could. Aveza bumped against a barrel, and she got an idea.

Lawrence came at her again. Aveza dodged but instead of countering, she spun around and used Lawrence’s momentum to throw him hard into the barrel, splintering it. He painfully got back up and kept fighting, though he kept slowing with each swing.

Aveza pulled the same trick again with another barrel, and this time Lawrence took too long to get back up. Aveza saw her advantage. She flicked out her hidden blade, and rammed it into Lawrence’s back. As he yelled in pain, time seemed to slow.

Ava watched through Aveza's eyes as the white void of the Animus replaced all sights and sounds from the simulation. She watched her ancestor stand over Lawrence.

“No…” said Lawrence. “My seas… We had such a strong hold on them. I had such a strong hold on them…”

“And now we're taking them back,” said Aveza. “These waters and their shores belong to the people.”

Lawrence chuckled. “The people are weak,” he said. “They don't deserve to have these lands. But we are strong. We can make this place something great.”

“You Americans are all bloody hypocrites, aren't you? Always going on about freedom and justice when in reality you only give it to those you put in power.”

“That's because we're the only ones who deserve to wield said power. We're the ones that need to shepherd the sheep that humanity is.”

“People can be their own shepherds. You're just too arrogant to realize it.”

“You put too much faith in the hearts of men, Assassin.”

“You don't put enough faith in them.”

“It doesn't matter anyway… Faith will get you nowhere. Jackson will crush you all beneath his thumb. Him and Harrison both.”

“Not if we crush them first. Myself, Connor, Tecumseh, we'll all ensure that you fail.”

Lawrence gave a disturbing smile, as if he knew something important that she didn't. But if he did, it was too late to ask. He died. Aveza closed his eyes. She said to him, “Freedom is a beautiful flower when it's allowed to blossom. Rest in peace.”

She stood from the body. Ava's mind slipped away to be replaced by Aveza's again. The white void disappeared and the deck of the Chesapeake returned.

Aveza looked around at the Americans, who stood shocked at the death of their leader. Aveza gave them all a deadly stare, and they started to back away. Suddenly, Connor and a group of British soldiers came marching down, and they began to round up their prisoners. Connor looked at Lawrence’s body, then at Aveza. The two Assassins nodded at each other.

“Good work, Aveza,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said.

“We can handle the soldiers down here. You go ahead and help Arnold and Captain Broke up top.”

Aveza nodded, and she quickly found her way back to the top deck.

She looked around for her friends. She saw Arnold, who was faring pretty well. Unfortunately, she saw that the same could not be said for Broke. Three American soldiers were advancing on him. Broke had managed to kill one of them, but another stunned him with a pistol shot. The third came at him, sword raised, and sliced his head a bit. Aveza's eyes widened. They were about to kill him. She had to act fast. She quickly found a rifle with a bayonet, picked it up, and charged at the men. She ran one of them through with the bayonet and, lining up the bloodied gun with the other man, killed him by shooting him with the same gun. She dropped the rifle and rushed to Broke’s side. He was alive, but badly injured.

A British soldier rushed up next to the captain. He started wrapping his head wound with a handkerchief. He looked at Aveza.

“I've got the captain,” he said. “Don't worry.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Go cut down the Americans’ flag. We've all but won this battle. Show them the signal that the fight is over.”

Aveza nodded. She ran towards the mast of the Chesapeake. She used the pulley systems to start her ascension, and then used the ropes as a ladder to climb the rest of the way. She reached the very top of the mast, and found the waving American flag. She raised her father's sword high, and cut the flag from its ropes. The red-white-and-blue sheet of fabric fell gently into the sea. Aveza began to climb back down, and as she did, she could already see the Americans officially surrendering.

------------

After the British had finally gotten things in order and rounded up the prisoners, the crews of the Shannon and the Aquila returned to their respective ships.

Aveza, Arnold, and Connor, however, went to go check on Captain Broke aboard the Shannon.

Medical officers were caring for his wounds as they approached. Broke mustered up the biggest smile he could in the state he was in.

“Ah… my friends,” he said painfully. “We cannot thank you enough for your assistance here today.”

“It was no problem, Captain Broke,” said Arnold, offering a mock salute.

“Are you going to be okay?” asked Connor.

“I'll be fine, don't worry. My lads here won't let me down. I'll have my man, Lieutenant Provo Wallis, pilot us back to Halifax with our prize while I heal.”

“You sure you don't need us to escort the Shannon there?” asked Aveza.

“No lass, it's quite alright. But thank you. Thank you all, for everything…”

He started losing consciousness again. The medical officers looked at the Assassins.

“He'll live. Don't worry,” one of them said. “He just needs some rest. Thank you friends.”

The Assassins nodded. They said their goodbyes and then returned to the Aquila. Aveza took the wheel as they began to sail away from the Shannon and the Chesapeake.

“Another victory for the Assassins,” Aveza said joyously.

Arnold laughed. “Indeed,” he said.

Connor chuckled a bit too, but then he observed Aveza's face.

“You seem a bit troubled,” he said.

“Hmm? Oh… sorry. I'm just thinking about Lawrence,” she said.

“What about him?”

“Well… before he died, he seemed to know something… important. I can't really say for sure if he did or not, he just kind of had this odd look when he died.”

“Hmm… That is most intriguing.”

“Yes… Oh well. It's too late now. If the Templars have anything planned, then we'll just have to deal with it when it comes.”

Connor smiled. Arnold patted her on the shoulder.

“That's the spirit, my dear!” he said. “Now, how's about we set a course for home?”

Aveza smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said. She turned to address the crew.

“Full sail, men! Set course for the Homestead! We're heading home!”

The sails spread across the masts, and the ship kicked up speed. As the sun began to set beneath the waves, the Aquila began the long journey home.

Description
June 1, 1813; Off the coast of Boston, Massachusetts

The Aquila and the HMS Shannon were anchored side-by-side in the ocean, waiting for their prey. They'd chosen this location just in case Lawrence had not received Broke’s challenge before setting sail. This spot was on the Templar’s planned route, so he'd pass through these waters even if the message hadn't reached him in time.

Aveza stood next to Arnold and Connor on the deck of the Aquila. She held the spyglass up to her eye and scanned the horizon for the USS Chesapeake. Nothing yet, but they were ready.

Aveza could hear Captain Broke drilling his men aboard his ship, “Throw no shot away. Aim every one. Keep cool. Work steadily. Fire into her quarters – maindeck to maindeck, quarterdeck to quarterdeck. Don't try to dismast her. Kill the men and the ship is yours.”

Aveza kept those words in mind. This was her first fight at sea, and though she had Connor and Arnold by her side to help her, she still wanted to make sure they made as few screw-ups as possible. She held up the spyglass ahead. She saw nothing, but a crew member's call from up on the crow's nest told her all she needed.

“Ship ahead!” he called. “Coming in from behind the rocks! It's our target, men!”

The crew of both ships began hurrying to their battle stations. Aveza rushed to the wheel and her friends rushed to her side. Soon enough, the Chesapeake came sailing into view. It seemed to slow a bit as its crew recognized the battle-ready ships. Arnold held up his spyglass.

“There he is,” he said, passing the spyglass to Aveza. “James Lawrence.”

Aveza looked towards the enemy ship's wheel and found her target behind it. He was frantically barking something at his men, who seemed nervous and unprepared. Good.

The Assassins and the British waited. Neither side made a move. All three ships stood motionless in the water. Both sides waited for the other to attack first.

Then suddenly, a distant roar was heard as the Chesapeake unleashed its mortars. The cannonballs came hurdling towards the two allied ships.

The Assassins’ eyes widened as the fireballs came towards them. Connor quickly turned to the crew and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Brace!”

The crew didn't hesitate. Everyone on the ships ducked down as the mortars flew over their heads, only just missing them. The alarm bells began to ring as they stood back up and sprang into action.

“Full sail!” Aveza called as she gripped the wheel. The sails unfurled and both ships started sailing toward their enemy.

Once they were close enough, the Shannon unleashed its own cannons, hitting the enemy ship in several places. First hit to the Assassins.

Aveza brought the Aquila around to be parallel with the Chesapeake, and then fired their own broadsides at the Templar ship. Another hit. The crew cheered their short victory until the Chesapeake fired another round and hit them back. The Assassins stumbled upon impact but quickly balanced themselves.

The Chesapeake fired again, this time at the Shannon, and missed. The Shannon turned a bit and fired back, landing another hit.

Aveza was about to comment on the easiness of the battle, but the Aquila was hit again before she could. She called for half sail and turned the ship to face the back of the Chesapeake as they slowed. She ordered another round of fire, which landed only a few hits. She swore under her breath.

The Chesapeake started making a comeback as it began to slow down and let off more shots, doing a good amount of damage on the Assassins and their allies. Another round, the Aquila shook. They tried firing back, and missed again.

They weren't done with their target though, and the battle raged on.

The Shannon started coming in close to the Chesapeake in such a way that told the Assassins that the British planned to board. And so Aveza yanked on the wheel and steered the Aquila to follow their lead. The Aquila managed to reach the Chesapeake first, and the crew wasted no time in boarding. They began shouting orders at each other. Hooked ropes were tossed onto the Chesapeake, connecting the two ships. Connor grabbed his tomahawk and Arnold drew his sword. Aveza stepped back from the wheel and grabbed her own sword as well. Connor and Arnold ran to the edge of the ship with the rest of the crew, lunging onto the Chesapeake ready to fight.

Aveza had a different plan, though. She ran towards the Aquila’s mast and hopped up onto one of the pulley systems that were attached to it. She sliced its rope with her sword and gripped it tight as gravity sent the lighter end of the rope soaring up the pulley with her in tow.

Her momentum carried her up to the top of one of the sails. She climbed along the rigging until she reached the tip. She quickly shot dead the two American snipers up on the masts of the Chesapeake before leaping onto the enemy ship's rigging. She scurried above the battle that raged below. She was glad to see that her friends were still alive and fighting hard. She quickly located Lawrence, and climbed to a spot she could shoot him from.

He was shouting at his men. “Carry on, men! We cannot let the Assassins win this fight! We've done so well to serve our cause on these seas, and we won't let them ruin it now! Tell the men to fire faster! Don't give up the ship!”

Aveza quickly drew her pistol and took aim at the Templar. She pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bullet smacked into his side, but he was still alive. Aveza swore under her breath and tried to fire another shot, but another soldier had helped bring Lawrence below decks before she could.

By then, the British had begun to board too. Pretty soon, Broke and his men joined the cacophony of clashing steel as well.

Aveza jumped down and stabbed two Americans with her hidden blades as she landed. She looked at Arnold, who she'd just landed next two.

“Evenin’,” she said jokingly.

“Afternoon,” he joked back. The two stood back-to-back, blades raised. They cut down a few more enemies. Aveza tried looking for a route below decks. Her search quickly came to an end when someone accidentally shot a nearby stack of gunpowder barrels, which exploded and caused the floor beneath her to give way. She yelled as she fell with a thud. She quickly stood back up and dusted herself off.

“Aveza!” called Arnold from above. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine,” she called back. “Don't worry. I'm going to go look for Lawrence.”

Arnold nodded and went back to the fight. Aveza got to work on finding her target.

There were still plenty of enemies to worry about on the lower levels, but not as much as above. Aveza managed to slip past most of them undetected.

Eventually, she found Lawrence sitting in the medical room, surrounded by a group of his men. Aveza drew her sword.

“Captain Lawrence,” she said. “This fight ends now.”

Lawrence’s men went to grab their swords but Lawrence stopped them. He scowled and painfully stood.

“You little vermin,” he said to Aveza. “You dare come in here and challenge me? I rule these seas! The Templars rule these seas! I won't let you take them from us.”

“The people will no longer have to live in fear of your tyranny,” said Aveza, pointing her sword at the Templar, “and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of it.”

Lawrence scowled and drew his own sword. “Then come at me, Assassin!” he said. “Let's settle this with honor!”

Aveza nodded. The two stood in the middle of the room, swords drawn. A small crowd of now scared American soldiers gathered around them to watch. Both sides made the first move. Their swords rang as they clashed. Lawrence yelled as he swung low. Aveza quickly blocked the blow and swung back. She missed.

The two danced around each other, taking swings where they could. Aveza bumped against a barrel, and she got an idea.

Lawrence came at her again. Aveza dodged but instead of countering, she spun around and used Lawrence’s momentum to throw him hard into the barrel, splintering it. He painfully got back up and kept fighting, though he kept slowing with each swing.

Aveza pulled the same trick again with another barrel, and this time Lawrence took too long to get back up. Aveza saw her advantage. She flicked out her hidden blade, and rammed it into Lawrence’s back. As he yelled in pain, time seemed to slow.

Ava watched through Aveza's eyes as the white void of the Animus replaced all sights and sounds from the simulation. She watched her ancestor stand over Lawrence.

“No…” said Lawrence. “My seas… We had such a strong hold on them. I had such a strong hold on them…”

“And now we're taking them back,” said Aveza. “These waters and their shores belong to the people.”

Lawrence chuckled. “The people are weak,” he said. “They don't deserve to have these lands. But we are strong. We can make this place something great.”

“You Americans are all bloody hypocrites, aren't you? Always going on about freedom and justice when in reality you only give it to those you put in power.”

“That's because we're the only ones who deserve to wield said power. We're the ones that need to shepherd the sheep that humanity is.”

“People can be their own shepherds. You're just too arrogant to realize it.”

“You put too much faith in the hearts of men, Assassin.”

“You don't put enough faith in them.”

“It doesn't matter anyway… Faith will get you nowhere. Jackson will crush you all beneath his thumb. Him and Harrison both.”

“Not if we crush them first. Myself, Connor, Tecumseh, we'll all ensure that you fail.”

Lawrence gave a disturbing smile, as if he knew something important that she didn't. But if he did, it was too late to ask. He died. Aveza closed his eyes. She said to him, “Freedom is a beautiful flower when it's allowed to blossom. Rest in peace.”

She stood from the body. Ava's mind slipped away to be replaced by Aveza's again. The white void disappeared and the deck of the Chesapeake returned.

Aveza looked around at the Americans, who stood shocked at the death of their leader. Aveza gave them all a deadly stare, and they started to back away. Suddenly, Connor and a group of British soldiers came marching down, and they began to round up their prisoners. Connor looked at Lawrence’s body, then at Aveza. The two Assassins nodded at each other.

“Good work, Aveza,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said.

“We can handle the soldiers down here. You go ahead and help Arnold and Captain Broke up top.”

Aveza nodded, and she quickly found her way back to the top deck.

She looked around for her friends. She saw Arnold, who was faring pretty well. Unfortunately, she saw that the same could not be said for Broke. Three American soldiers were advancing on him. Broke had managed to kill one of them, but another stunned him with a pistol shot. The third came at him, sword raised, and sliced his head a bit. Aveza's eyes widened. They were about to kill him. She had to act fast. She quickly found a rifle with a bayonet, picked it up, and charged at the men. She ran one of them through with the bayonet and, lining up the bloodied gun with the other man, killed him by shooting him with the same gun. She dropped the rifle and rushed to Broke’s side. He was alive, but badly injured.

A British soldier rushed up next to the captain. He started wrapping his head wound with a handkerchief. He looked at Aveza.

“I've got the captain,” he said. “Don't worry.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Go cut down the Americans’ flag. We've all but won this battle. Show them the signal that the fight is over.”

Aveza nodded. She ran towards the mast of the Chesapeake. She used the pulley systems to start her ascension, and then used the ropes as a ladder to climb the rest of the way. She reached the very top of the mast, and found the waving American flag. She raised her father's sword high, and cut the flag from its ropes. The red-white-and-blue sheet of fabric fell gently into the sea. Aveza began to climb back down, and as she did, she could already see the Americans officially surrendering.

------------

After the British had finally gotten things in order and rounded up the prisoners, the crews of the Shannon and the Aquila returned to their respective ships.

Aveza, Arnold, and Connor, however, went to go check on Captain Broke aboard the Shannon.

Medical officers were caring for his wounds as they approached. Broke mustered up the biggest smile he could in the state he was in.

“Ah… my friends,” he said painfully. “We cannot thank you enough for your assistance here today.”

“It was no problem, Captain Broke,” said Arnold, offering a mock salute.

“Are you going to be okay?” asked Connor.

“I'll be fine, don't worry. My lads here won't let me down. I'll have my man, Lieutenant Provo Wallis, pilot us back to Halifax with our prize while I heal.”

“You sure you don't need us to escort the Shannon there?” asked Aveza.

“No lass, it's quite alright. But thank you. Thank you all, for everything…”

He started losing consciousness again. The medical officers looked at the Assassins.

“He'll live. Don't worry,” one of them said. “He just needs some rest. Thank you friends.”

The Assassins nodded. They said their goodbyes and then returned to the Aquila. Aveza took the wheel as they began to sail away from the Shannon and the Chesapeake.

“Another victory for the Assassins,” Aveza said joyously.

Arnold laughed. “Indeed,” he said.

Connor chuckled a bit too, but then he observed Aveza's face.

“You seem a bit troubled,” he said.

“Hmm? Oh… sorry. I'm just thinking about Lawrence,” she said.

“What about him?”

“Well… before he died, he seemed to know something… important. I can't really say for sure if he did or not, he just kind of had this odd look when he died.”

“Hmm… That is most intriguing.”

“Yes… Oh well. It's too late now. If the Templars have anything planned, then we'll just have to deal with it when it comes.”

Connor smiled. Arnold patted her on the shoulder.

“That's the spirit, my dear!” he said. “Now, how's about we set a course for home?”

Aveza smiled and nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said. She turned to address the crew.

“Full sail, men! Set course for the Homestead! We're heading home!”

The sails spread across the masts, and the ship kicked up speed. As the sun began to set beneath the waves, the Aquila began the long journey home.