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An Island in the Sea of Jade
The captain was a good man for a handshake. There were a number of sailors, Sea Wolves in particular, with a tendency to treat any act of greeting as a test of strength. All well and good for the average roegadyn crewman, but the small and slight races among the ranks could find themselves with sprained wrists or worse. Not so Slaeglac; when he clasped Balther Wright’s hand in his own, it was just firm enough to avoid harming an old sailor infirm enough that it could do him serious harm.
The relief in Balther’s face at this gesture was evident to the captain, or mayhaps that was relief at finding his destination at last. Slaeglac was happy for it in either case. “Damn good to see you again, you old sw - “ He paused, noting the children behind the man. Balther’s daughter by marriage and his grandchildren had come for the trip. “Well,†he finished. “It’s damn good to see you. Not too troublesome a trip?â€
Balther smiled and shook his head, patting at a nearly-bald pate to keep the wind from tousling what hair remained. He had to crane his neck to look up at Slaeglac, which was fine for both of them. The captain was never one to stoop. “Passage was fine, ser. Ship’s boat met me where you said, smooth enough once I was off the merchantman. Departure, though - “ He lowered his voice. “Iyrnent didn’t let me go easy, you know. Had the Sisters looking about along with him. Had to smuggle out of Aleport.â€
“Blasted fool.†Slaeglac pinched the bridge of his nose. “His father’s man in all the wrong way.†It had been a risk, giving the captain of the Warbull the means to reach him, but he’d known Balther to be a stout sailor who’d see sense. Giving the quartermaster his own means was insurance. “You took it back from him, then, along with yours?â€
For a slight moment, Balther flinched, flicked his eyes back to his family; the daughter minding the children and giving Slaeglac a hopeful smile. What tales had Wright told her? She had the look as if the captain was a savior. He frowned. “Well, we’ll talk about it anon. Let’s get the lot of you settled. Beach is only a small sight to see,†He gestured out to the island’s harbor, where the Tumult kept watch, now joined by the smaller profile of the Dodo’s Wail. “And you’ve seen ships enough to last you a lifetime. Come have a look at the interior.â€
It wasn’t more than a tenth of a bell to reach inland. Yalms out from the grass the treeline rose, a small section of it cut away by the work of the crews. Men and women of the Tumult and the Wail labored over clearing land, taking down timber, and setting up houses, the latter stopping Balther in his tracks. “A strange make, those,†he said, his voice an unanswered question.
Slaeglac’s laugh startled a nearby topman-turned ploughman. “Aye, strange indeed. Damn sight better for keeping out the damp and the chill than a tent, I’ll tell you that. You’ll adjust. As y’see, we’re settin’ up nice - a bit too late in the year for the land to do much more’n lay fallow, I’m told, but we’ll have it ready for crops come the end of the cycle. Better to be prepared than not, aye?â€
“Food’s coming in from abroad?†Directing Wright’s attention to the plowed land set him to work. Slaeglac could already see the old quartermaster running figures in his head, pursing his lip as he tallied the land and the possible yield to the people present.
“Aye, that and our own fishing. A few moons and we’ll be self-sufficient. And funds’ll be no problem - Oi! Sawyer, get over here!â€
Slaeglac waved down his mate, not quite struggling under a yard’s length of wrought steel. “This here’s Everard Sawyer, our man in charge of the funds.â€
Everard wiped sweat from his brow, red hair long and stringy likely from the same, and offered a weary salute. “Sir?â€
“This here’s Balther Wright, fella I told you about. Best quartermaster in the Levies, here with family.†He slapped Blather on the back, a gesture in which he was closer to a normal Sea Wolf than he was for handshakes. “He’ll be taking the lay of the place ‘fore he decides what to take on. How’s your work going? Need more hands?â€
“No, sir, all the hands are fine, though they’re chafing at the forbidding of spirits near the equipment. Sailors and their drink, and all. The pay is enough to maintain order. There is some difficulty with the density of the ground, but I believe it will only lead to delays rather than ruined equipment.â€
“Good lad, Sawyer. Carry on.†The captain waved his hand in a lazy dismissal, moving on to leave Everard to his labors. “They still call you captain?†Balther asked.
Slaeglac grimaced. “Aye. Once we’re up and running proper I expect we’ll ‘ave to change that. Heard good word from another three ships, an’ if this is all to work we can’t have people fighting over pride of place.†He shook his head, pausing to trace his fingers on his sahagin’s tooth necklace. “But no sense with worrying you when you just got here! Let’s get you and yours settled, and see where you’d like to pitch in. Be a treat to have you tallying the numbers like the old days, but if that’s not your choice I understand.†He seemed to remember something. “Ah, and you have the crystals? Yours and Iyrnent’s?â€
“Mine, yes. The other . . . “ Balther fidgeted, seemed to shrink in on himself. The captain hardly knew his exact age, but whatever it was he seemed to have gained ten cycles. “I gave it away. I’m sorry.â€
“Away.†Slaeglac clicked his tongue, looking back out to the sea. He said nothing, letting the noise of construction and the odd cursing of a sailor fill in for him. At last, he shrugged. “Risk I took with this setup, really. Was it Maelstrom? One of the Sisters?â€
“No, sir, neither! Man who helped me get out of Vylbrand. I thought he’d do well here.â€
The captain exhaled. “Well, no harm in it now I suppose. What’s done is done. With any luck, he’ll come to us.â€
The captain was a good man for a handshake. There were a number of sailors, Sea Wolves in particular, with a tendency to treat any act of greeting as a test of strength. All well and good for the average roegadyn crewman, but the small and slight races among the ranks could find themselves with sprained wrists or worse. Not so Slaeglac; when he clasped Balther Wright’s hand in his own, it was just firm enough to avoid harming an old sailor infirm enough that it could do him serious harm.
The relief in Balther’s face at this gesture was evident to the captain, or mayhaps that was relief at finding his destination at last. Slaeglac was happy for it in either case. “Damn good to see you again, you old sw - “ He paused, noting the children behind the man. Balther’s daughter by marriage and his grandchildren had come for the trip. “Well,†he finished. “It’s damn good to see you. Not too troublesome a trip?â€
Balther smiled and shook his head, patting at a nearly-bald pate to keep the wind from tousling what hair remained. He had to crane his neck to look up at Slaeglac, which was fine for both of them. The captain was never one to stoop. “Passage was fine, ser. Ship’s boat met me where you said, smooth enough once I was off the merchantman. Departure, though - “ He lowered his voice. “Iyrnent didn’t let me go easy, you know. Had the Sisters looking about along with him. Had to smuggle out of Aleport.â€
“Blasted fool.†Slaeglac pinched the bridge of his nose. “His father’s man in all the wrong way.†It had been a risk, giving the captain of the Warbull the means to reach him, but he’d known Balther to be a stout sailor who’d see sense. Giving the quartermaster his own means was insurance. “You took it back from him, then, along with yours?â€
For a slight moment, Balther flinched, flicked his eyes back to his family; the daughter minding the children and giving Slaeglac a hopeful smile. What tales had Wright told her? She had the look as if the captain was a savior. He frowned. “Well, we’ll talk about it anon. Let’s get the lot of you settled. Beach is only a small sight to see,†He gestured out to the island’s harbor, where the Tumult kept watch, now joined by the smaller profile of the Dodo’s Wail. “And you’ve seen ships enough to last you a lifetime. Come have a look at the interior.â€
It wasn’t more than a tenth of a bell to reach inland. Yalms out from the grass the treeline rose, a small section of it cut away by the work of the crews. Men and women of the Tumult and the Wail labored over clearing land, taking down timber, and setting up houses, the latter stopping Balther in his tracks. “A strange make, those,†he said, his voice an unanswered question.
Slaeglac’s laugh startled a nearby topman-turned ploughman. “Aye, strange indeed. Damn sight better for keeping out the damp and the chill than a tent, I’ll tell you that. You’ll adjust. As y’see, we’re settin’ up nice - a bit too late in the year for the land to do much more’n lay fallow, I’m told, but we’ll have it ready for crops come the end of the cycle. Better to be prepared than not, aye?â€
“Food’s coming in from abroad?†Directing Wright’s attention to the plowed land set him to work. Slaeglac could already see the old quartermaster running figures in his head, pursing his lip as he tallied the land and the possible yield to the people present.
“Aye, that and our own fishing. A few moons and we’ll be self-sufficient. And funds’ll be no problem - Oi! Sawyer, get over here!â€
Slaeglac waved down his mate, not quite struggling under a yard’s length of wrought steel. “This here’s Everard Sawyer, our man in charge of the funds.â€
Everard wiped sweat from his brow, red hair long and stringy likely from the same, and offered a weary salute. “Sir?â€
“This here’s Balther Wright, fella I told you about. Best quartermaster in the Levies, here with family.†He slapped Blather on the back, a gesture in which he was closer to a normal Sea Wolf than he was for handshakes. “He’ll be taking the lay of the place ‘fore he decides what to take on. How’s your work going? Need more hands?â€
“No, sir, all the hands are fine, though they’re chafing at the forbidding of spirits near the equipment. Sailors and their drink, and all. The pay is enough to maintain order. There is some difficulty with the density of the ground, but I believe it will only lead to delays rather than ruined equipment.â€
“Good lad, Sawyer. Carry on.†The captain waved his hand in a lazy dismissal, moving on to leave Everard to his labors. “They still call you captain?†Balther asked.
Slaeglac grimaced. “Aye. Once we’re up and running proper I expect we’ll ‘ave to change that. Heard good word from another three ships, an’ if this is all to work we can’t have people fighting over pride of place.†He shook his head, pausing to trace his fingers on his sahagin’s tooth necklace. “But no sense with worrying you when you just got here! Let’s get you and yours settled, and see where you’d like to pitch in. Be a treat to have you tallying the numbers like the old days, but if that’s not your choice I understand.†He seemed to remember something. “Ah, and you have the crystals? Yours and Iyrnent’s?â€
“Mine, yes. The other . . . “ Balther fidgeted, seemed to shrink in on himself. The captain hardly knew his exact age, but whatever it was he seemed to have gained ten cycles. “I gave it away. I’m sorry.â€
“Away.†Slaeglac clicked his tongue, looking back out to the sea. He said nothing, letting the noise of construction and the odd cursing of a sailor fill in for him. At last, he shrugged. “Risk I took with this setup, really. Was it Maelstrom? One of the Sisters?â€
“No, sir, neither! Man who helped me get out of Vylbrand. I thought he’d do well here.â€
The captain exhaled. “Well, no harm in it now I suppose. What’s done is done. With any luck, he’ll come to us.â€
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Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine