The Little Pirate and A Cowboy

Started by PurpleRiver, August 19, 2013, 03:47:41 PM

PurpleRiver

August 19, 2013, 03:47:41 PM Last Edit: November 09, 2013, 06:17:38 PM by PurpleRiver

"Wait," Josey's voice was firm despite how she felt. "That's a civillian boat."

She said it like she didn't understand, but she did. Deep down she had sensed this moment coming for months now. Little things had been building up, little things that just weren't quite right.

One of her crew-mates, a dirty-looking fellow with a cruel smile, turned his face to her. That grin made Josey's skin crawl but she'd had enough practice not to show it. "Y'arr it is," he answered her. He turned slowly back to the airlock.

It was too late to stop it now. The mid-bulk transport ship had been thoroughly beaten by the The Damned Compass and was now dead in the water. Its crew would be easy pickings for the men now boarding it. A shriek came from the other side of the airlock, followed by the sound of heavy sobbing. The cries were getting louder, and then the airlock was thrust open. Out stumbled a curly-haired blonde woman, followed by two young men, and several other civillian crew. Behind them came guns, in the hands of ugly pirates.

"No..." Josey murmured to herself as she realised the full extent of the treachery she was a party to. This was not what she had signed up for. She wanted to cry.

Her dirty crew-mate just laughed, and moved forward to help corral the slaves.

***

The explosion was powerful, but brief. Josey left the crowd of pirates - no, to call them pirates was an insult to the true spirit of a pirate. They were just slavers now. Josey left them at the starboad porthole to watch the flaming fragments of what was left of the civillian transport they had gutted and destroyed. She marched up to the Captain's office, pounded on the door and strode in before he had given her leave.

She hadn't decided what she was going to say, and so there was an awkward moment of silence as he looked at her and she looked at him.

"This ain't right," she told him.

"And what's that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Takin' those folk."

"We're pirates," he answered, amusement clear in his voice.

"No you ain't. What you're doing is slavin'. Pirates ain't slavers."

"You watch your tone, Missy. Pirate or slaver, I'm still your Captain."

"No you ain't. I ain't gonna serve a no-good codfish slaver."

She'd done it now. She knew she had crossed a line before he leaped out of his chair and grabbed her by the collar. She knew she was in danger before he back-handed her across the face and made her bleed. She didn't realise just how much danger until he drew his pistol and pressed it to her face.

"My brother," she managed to whisper as he pulled the hammer back. "Taught me how to use a knife." It had been years since Will actually led the pirate life in the black, but the Hawkins name still managed to instill respect and fear in those pirates who'd been around back then. Her Captain knew Josey's older brother would wreak swift and vicious vengeance if she was hurt. She'd promised herself she'd never trade on her brother's name, but she'd use it now to save her life. It worked.

Either that, or it was the blade of her bowie knife now pressed against his belly made him reconsider.

The Captain eased the hammer back, and pushed her roughly to the ground and out of his office. "Confined to quarters," he barked at her. "If I find you anywhere else, I don't care who your brother is, he will find you in pieces."

"Yes Captain."

***

Josey didn't think that the Captain really would kill her, but she kept herself confined to her bunk all the same. She kept the door locked and barricaded, just to be safe. Even if the Captain didn't plan to kill her, he might have some other horrible ideas that Josey was sure he was more than capable of.

She had let her temper get away from her. She'd only meant to tell the Captain that she wanted no part in slaving and would be getting off at the next stop. She'd so foolishly thought that she might be able to change the Captain's heart with a speech about the meaning of freedom and the pirate code... But she'd acted much too rashly. And now she had to go to Will for help.

"How soon can you get to Bernadette?" she asked him when he waved her back.

"I'll be there when you land."

***

The shake and rattle of entry into atmosphere was more violent than usual, or at least it seemed that way to Josey. Perhaps it was because the mechanics were a crew-member down, or maybe it just felt that way due to the anticipation Josey felt.

The ship hit planet-side and almost immediately Josey heard the electronic lock of her door spring open. Someone tried it and found Josey's barricade to be sound. "Open up Miss Hawkins, I'm escortin' ya off. Captain's orders."

Josey recognised the voice and felt relieved. Not all the pirates on The Damned Compass were vile codfish like the Captain. In fact, most of them were decent pirates, and people Josey would consider friends. At least, she would have until she realised they were slavers.

She pulled apart the make-shift barricade and opened the door to Nico. Her escort was armed, but she was sure from the wink he gave her that it was more for her protection than anything else. But Josey wasn't worried. She knew Will would be waiting for her.

They walked in silence to the main cargo bay, where the doors were already open. Josey scanned the docks looking for her brother, but saw no sign of him. The codfish captain was there, and as Josey looked briefly at him she almost laughed at the sight of him. On the top of his head was an ugly, lace-adorned hat with an ostentatious feather so big it arced forwards and into his face so that he had to constantly blow it out of his way.

The codfish captain looked over at Josey and snarled, "Get her gone before -- ah, Captain, welcome aboard my humble vessel." The codfish captain turned mid-sentence, extended a hand and bowed to someone Josey couldn't see through the ridiculous feather.

Josey didn't care, she just kept moving down the ramp and off the ship. Until she heard the stranger reply, "Thank you Captain. And I must say without a delay that your hat is the most fantastic specimen I have ever seen. I am impressed."

Josey knew that voice, and suddenly the hat made perfect sense. There was one infamous pirate - considered by many to be the greatest pirate the 'verse had ever known - who had a penchant for fancy hats.

The codfish turned to lead Captain Battle towards his office. Though she couldn't control herself enough not to look back, at least Josey knew enough to keep moving. And in case she didn't know better, her escort pressed a hand to her back to gently push her on. Josey looked up at Nico, and he gave her his cock-eyed grin. "Hurry on Miss Hawkins. Your brother's waiting," Nico told her. He pointed across the busy docks, and there Josey finally saw Will: her brother, Captain Battle's First Mate, and apparently a friend to Nico too.

***


Captain Battle leaned back in the ornate chair and admired the captain's office of The Damned Compass. She was impressed. A very fancy hat - that she would not admit but quite frankly put hers to shame - and a beautiful office fit for a pirate king let alone a Captain. Of course, the man sitting opposite her at a fine wooden desk was neither Pirate King nor Pirate Captain. He was a Slaver. Battle couldn't think of a profession more vile and unworthy than that of a slaver.

"Few people appreciate the finesse required in the tradition of slaving," Battle explained. "To take able-bodied crew alive... A challenge many fall short of. If they are indeed still in the condition you showed me via wave I expect we will not have an un-short future together."

The slaver captain smiled, but he was suspicious. "It would be an honour to me Captain Battle, of course. All the same... I must say I am surprised to hear you are in the business. Stories go, you're more a...well, gentlewo-, uh, gentleman of fortune than a real pirate."

Battle sat forward slightly, a devilish smile curling on her lips. "We both know the value of a good tale, Captain. But not even the best tales should not not be believed. I even heard tell that I'd retired the pirate's life and married a farmer's son."

The slaver captain bellowed, Battle assumed it was what passed for laughter.
"Let's say we take a look at these folk you have, I'll get 'em aboard my ship and I'll tell you a few more tales of the great Captain Battle."

Battle was taken to the brig, and inspected the prisoners. She acted pleased, and tossed a pouch of coin to the slaver captain. The slaves were marched out of the cells, into the cargo bay where two of Battle's 'crew' were waiting with transport. A curly-haired blonde woman shrieked and wailed; Battle shoved her into the transport. With a roll of her eyes, Battle looked back to the slaver captain as the ship's doors reopened and the transport rolled out of the cargo bay. "Shall we?" she asked, indicating they return to his office.

"Nico," the slaver captain called. "Bring up the best rum from the stores."

Battle grinned at Nico, who glanced only briefly at her. "Yes Captain, right away."

"You certainly know how to treat your guests," Battle complimented the slaver as they retired to his cabin. The rum was brought, the rum was drunk, and tales of treachery and adventure were shared. When the last of the bottle was drained, Battle sighed sadly.

"You know Captain, it's a shame we didn't meet years ago. I think we could have got along."

The slaver was confused by this comment, but he was so enjoyably tipsy he glossed over it.

"Slaving is a disgusting way to make a living, but you're not so bad. And that is a very fine hat."

It was dawning on the slaver that the way Battle's eyes were dancing was a dangerous sign.

"But you made a grave mistake, Captain." Her lip flickered at her intended pun.

"Little Josey was dead right. You ain't a pirate, least not by my standards. Maybe it ain't fair to hold you by my standards but you give the rest of us pirates a bad name. But even if you hadn't sullied the name of pirate, I'd still have to kill you."

He drew his gun at that, but Battle was faster. She shot him through the heart. She hadn't finished talking yet.

"I'm going to tell you a great tale, Captain. Ain't but a handful of people in this 'verse that know the epilogue to Great Tale of Captain Battle. You can be one of 'em, even if it's just for a few seconds. See, I did retire. I did marry a farmer's son. But that farmer's son's a pirate too. A proper pirate, not like you. And he has a sister, a Little Pirate, name of Josey Hawkins."

Battle stood, picked up the pouch of coins and pocketed them. She turned to the door and then thought of something. She went back to the dieing slaver captain, and shook her head at him. "That hat... over-compensating much?"

She took it off him, and strode to the door. She opened it to find Nico, as expected. She tossed the hat to him, "Ship's yours, Captain Nico. Pleasure doing business with you."

PurpleRiver

August 21, 2013, 09:35:22 AM #1 Last Edit: November 09, 2013, 06:16:45 PM by PurpleRiver

For the next week the little family of pirates hid out in a small town far from any of the major cities of Bernadette. Of course 'hiding out' in pirate-speak meant causing a ruckus in whatever local watering hole was fool enough to let them in. Josey's sister Annabelle and her husband had come too and the five of them had a series of highly entertaining and slightly dangerous nights. It had taken the first couple nights for Josey to lick her wounds, by day five she was ready to move on and by day seven she was downright restless. Will wanted her to join up with a crew he and Battle had once worked with and Josey had gotten tired of looking for excuses. At the crack of dawn her bags were packed and she was sneaking out - again.

"Heading out for a walk?" Battle's voice, laced with a smile, stopped Josey in her tracks as she padded through the living quarters. Battle had been sitting by the viewport and crossed over now to the table. Seemingly from nowhere Battle produced a bottle and placed it on the table. She raised an eyebrow and waited for Josey to sit down.

Josey dropped her duffel and took a seat. She waited for Battle to take the first drink but when she didn't Josey took the bottle herself. It made her feel much better; being allowed to drink first was kind of an honour when it came to Battle.

After a generous swig, Josey replied, "I found a job shipping out from New Carlisle." Unlike the last time Battle had caught her running away, Josey didn't try to hide it.

"I know I messed up with the Damned Compass. I shoulda trusted my instincts and left them weeks afore it happened. I won't make that mistake again."
Josey waited for Battle to say something, but she didn't.

"I really appreciate what y'all did for me," Josey continued. " I got scared, and y'all came for me. But I can take care of myself. And I wanna do it on my own."

"We're always going to come when you call. It's our way. Same as Will came for me when I got took. Same as we all went when Terry's wife got killed. If you want to be on your own all you gotta do is not call."

Josey half-nodded, her head hanging. That was fair. She probably could have found a way out of that situation without asking for help, though she wouldn't have been able to save the slaves as well.

"No shame in calling," Battle added. "And you can always come home."

Josey looked up and gave Battle a small, tight-lipped smile. She took another large sip – too large as she began to cough. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and reached to offer the bottle back to Battle. Battle shook her head, "Keep it."

The gesture was huge to Josey. She practically leaped across the table and wrapped her arms around Captain Battle in a heartfelt squeeze. Battle was taken by surprise, but Josey didn't see the look of bemused terror on Battle's face as she gingerly tapped Josey on the back.

After that Josey stoppered the bottle and placed it carefully into her bag, which she then shouldered. "Thank Will for me. And Annabelle and Ed."

Nothing more to say, the little pirate went out to make her way in the 'verse, for the second time.

PurpleRiver

September 24, 2013, 06:39:29 PM #2 Last Edit: November 09, 2013, 06:16:13 PM by PurpleRiver

"Well Miss Hawkins, I just have one more question for you, if you don't mind terribly." The First Mate spoke well, but not like he was from the Core, least not as far as Josey could tell. He had the demeanour of a gentleman without the ritualistic formality Josey associated with the few Core bred folk she had encountered. He spoke slowly and drew out everything he said like he was reclining on a porch swing during a long hot and lazy summer.

"Are you any relation to the Will Hawkins of the Dutchwoman?"

Josey bowed her head. She'd gotten through the whole interview thinking her name had not rung a bell. There was no point denying it. "Yes sir. He's my brother," she replied, somewhat resigned.

"Well I never met Mr. Hawkins myself - a litte afore my time. But his reputation is quite somethin'. Don't make no difference, a' course. I was just curious."

The First Mate rose from his high backed chair with a creak of wood. Josey stood too, following his lead and was given a quick tour of the ship. The particulars of pay were agreed as he showed her the galley and then her bunk. On the way to the engine room, the First Mate explained,

"Few weeks ago the Captain hired on a mechanic but I felt it might be fortuitous to have an extra pair of hands."

The engine was old but at a quick glance it looked well-cared for. Before Josey gave it much of a look, her attention was drawn to the hammock strung up in one corner. A man in cowboy boots with feathery blonde hair had been lazing in it but was now half-falling, half-jumping out of it.

The First Mate laced his drawl with sarcasm as he greeted the cowboy mechanic, "Good morning Mr. Wade. Allow me to introduce Miss Hawkins. She's signing on to give us an extra hand in here. Be sure you show her every courtesy."

Josey stepped forward and struck out her hand. Wade took it in a firm grasp though he didn't seem to fully comprehend what was going on around him.

The First Mate continued, speaking now to Josey. "Miss Hawkins, I leave you in Mr. Wade's... capable... hands."

Josey gave a quick grin and nod to the First Mate before turning back to Wade. She started looking over the engine and quickly launched into some technical questions. "So you running a 20 through the fuel injection or a 22?"

"Uhh..." Wade didn't seem to have an answer. "Why don't you tell me?" he asked as if he were testing her out.

She looked at him with a touch of amusement and went to look. "A 22. Connection looks good," she said thoughtfully. She started walking around the engine, getting acquainted.

Wade seemed to grow more confident. "How bout you show me what you know. Talk me through what you see."

And so Josey did as she was asked, rattling off all the immediate checks any mechanic worth their salt would do when first seeing an engine. Wade followed her around, apparently captivated.

Cyril Leland Wade

October 31, 2013, 11:10:14 AM #3 Last Edit: November 27, 2013, 06:26:01 PM by Cyril Leland Wade
Four days later, the ship had made berth on Three Hills. The crew had a full day and night of shore leave. A few of the crew had roots here, the First Mate included, and those who didn't had either found women to bed or were gambling. Lucky was one of the latter. Tonight it seemed less like gambling and more like handing over his cash for nothing. When he could no longer stand the jokes about him not living up to his name, he excused himself and sat at the bar next to Josey.

"Heh," she chuckled. "Luck run out Lucky?" She seemed to think she was funny.

Lucky shook his head. "Ain't never been lucky at cards," he replied. He eyed her drink. It was colourful, red at the bottom fading into yellow as it went up the shaped glass. He thought she was too much a tomboy for such a girly drink.

"Why do they call ya Lucky then?" she asked. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes as she sipped on her straw.

Lucky took a long sip of beer, finishing it off. He caught the eye of the bar tender to get another one. He liked Josey. She was the friendly sort without being nosey. She worked hard too, which Lucky had to respect in a girl so young. She came from the land too, same as himself. Not that he'd ever had any talent for it. But so far he had more in common with Josey than the rest of the crew.

"Are you sure you're in the mood for a story that is not remotely funny, or heroic?" he asked her. They'd shared a few stories already. Another thing they had in common was appreciation for a good tale. He'd tell her this one, but it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

She sat up a little straighter and stopped playing with the straw so childishly. She nodded. "If'n you want to tell it," she answered.

"I fought in the war," Lucky began. His tone was that of remembrance without the wistful sentimentality. "I was an average ground pounder for the Browncoats. My unit were infiltratin' a town we knew was overrun by Alliance, but we needed to try and take it. It was an awful day. Rain had been pouring down for days, it was cold. The ground was just mud everywhere. It caked to your boots and weighed ya down. We moved in slow and careful but not careful enough. We got flanked and a rain o' bullets came down on us. We scrambled to find cover. A couple of our guys didn't move fast enough. That gorram mud made it like movin' in slow motion. Or maybe that's just how it seemed. We took cover, returned fire. We got spread out. It was chaos. I saw one of our guys go down. He'd took a bullet in the back as he ran for cover. He was screamin' so I knew he wasn't dead but he was panickin'. I was with our medic but he wasn't gonna budge. Runnin' out from cover'd be stupid. It'd help no-one for our medic to get shot up. I grabbed his helmet off him – cause it had the red cross on it – cause I figured not even PurpleBellies'd shoot an unarmed medic. Seemed like there was some cover I could use to get there, and the rest of my unit had the shooters pretty distracted. I figured wrong, by the way. PurpleBellies do shoot unarmed men. I'd just got to Davies and started hauling pigoh back to the medic when I felt the bullets rip through me. I went down into that mud and thought I'd never get back up again. But I heard our Sergeant barking orders, I heard him give the order to fall back, and then I heard him change his mind. I must've tried to crawl out of that mud 'cause next I hear someone shout the old sayin'. Next I remember wakin up, they tell me a week's gone by and it's gonna be months afore I walk again."

He stopped and waited for Josey's reaction.

"What's so lucky about that?" Josey asked.

"That day," Lucky answered. "Day I woke up, my whole regiment got shipped to Serenity Valley."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence as Lucky started on the fresh beer. He didn't expect Josey to have much to say. No-one ever did when he told that story, which was why he didn't tell it often. Why had he told Josey? She'd asked.

"So what's your real name?" she asked. "I won't tell anyone," she added quickly.

Lucky smiled and told her his name was Cyril. "But it ain't no big secret. I just don' like it, is all."

"I dunno, I reckon a real name has power," Josey replied mysteriously.

Lucky didn't quite know what to think about that. So he turned his attention to more interesting matters.

"What is that funny looking thing you're drinking?" he asked teasingly.

"Rum," she answered quickly. "With some juice and syrup in it," she added quietly.

Lucky grinned, not so much laughing at her drink so much as how proud she seemed of the rum. She looked like she got a little offended, and shot back, "Look at you drinking beer like a little boy kitty."

Lucky was amused and saw the opening for a game. "Alright then Miss Hakwins, I believe that constitutes a challenge. Barkeep, a bottle of your finest rum!"

"White, dark or flavoured?" the barman asked.

Lucky hesitated only a beat, "Don't insult us! We're about to embark on a drinking challenge of epic proportions. Dark rum it has to be. Only rum fit for a pirate!"

"Actually," Josey piped up, "I kind of like the coconut rum."

Lucky slapped a hand to his face.

PurpleRiver

October 31, 2013, 11:35:32 AM #4 Last Edit: November 09, 2013, 06:15:31 PM by PurpleRiver

"Lucky - NO!" Josey screamed but it was already too late. Lucky twisted the wrench. Josey hit the deck and covered herself as best she could. A second later came the explosion. As explosions went, it was small but any explosion inside an engine room was life-threatening. Pieces of pipe metal flew across the room followed by a cry of pain. With her head down, Josey didn't see but guessed several had found Lucky's flesh.

Hot steam was now bursting forth from the broken pipe. Josey had to belly crawl across the room to avoid it. She made it to the wall and reached up for the shut-off valve. The steam hissed and disappeared; the heat in the room remained. Sweat had soaked through Josey's yellow and brown checked shirt and matted the hairs that had come loose from her plaited pig-tails to her face. Now, the immediate concern was Lucky.

He was half-crouched against the wall by the busted pipe. He was holding on to his forearm, blood flowing down the elbow and splattering to the floor. Josey paled at the sight of so much blood.

"Did it miss my face?" Lucky asked jovially, apparently unfazed by the wound.

The sound of running footsteps prevented Josey from responding. The First Mate was there. "What in the seven hells happened in here?" he shouted angrily. He saw Lucky's wound and slammed down the comm. "Doc, Med-bay. Now."

One they had gotten Lucky to the infirmary, Josey showed the First Mate the pipe that had blown. She made it sound like a freak accident. She never even hinted that it only happened because Lucky hadn't known what he was doing.

Some of the crew seemed to know that the accident had been Lucky's fault. Or maybe they didn't need an excuse to blame him and make fun. She caught the sniggers of a couple gunhands as they passed by.

"Ain't so lucky after all is he?" one had said snidely.
"Ain't no amount a luck gonna help ya when ya're that stupid," the other replied.

Josey had been angry at Lucky's stupidity herself, but there was no need to be laughing behind a man's back. If you had a bone to pick, you picked it to his face. And if a crewman wasn't doing his share of the work you showed him how and if he still didn't do it you told the XO and got him booted off. Simple as.

Stepping inside the infirmary, Josey was caught off guard by the sight of Lucky. Two things, actually, threw her. First, was his body. He was sitting on the med-bay table without a shirt on. His chest and arms were chiselled with hard muscle. His back too was beautifully sculpted with the kinds of muscles a man got through hard work. There were some scars there too. She had had no idea he was so rugged. Secondly, his whole aura was different. He was leaning forward, his head bowed in... Embarrassment? Disappointment? Shame.

"Cyril?" Josey whispered his name as a question. She didn't know why she used his real name rather than the nickname they all knew him by. Maybe it was seeing him in this different light. The nickname suddenly seemed so fake.

At the sound of her voice, Lucky looked up. And it was Lucky. Immediately the ne'er-do-well grin was on his face. His back – that strong, manly back – straightened up, bringing back the sense of pride with which Lucky usually carried himself.

"Howdy xiao haidao," he greeted her warmly. He turned and she could see the stitches running along his arm. There was one long one and a few smaller ones too. He must have raised his arms to shield his face just as the pipe blew.

"Yeah, I'm pretty stupid, huh?"

Josey folded her arms. She knew the gesture was just her like her mother – but right now that was a good thing. Lucky needed a scolding.

"You could have gotten one or both of us killed. Or worse, ya coulda taken out this whole ship. A job that shoulda taken maybe forty minutes tops is now going to take at least a day. More, since I ain't sure I want you helpin' me no more."

At first Lucky had looked like he was going to make a joke or tease Josey about her telling him off. Now though he looked serious. That shameful look came into his eyes. His head fell forward and Josey's heart went out to him. She'd already grown to like him, now she was seeing there was much more to him than the persona he projected.

Her tone softened, just like her mother's used to when whichever child she'd been scolding had apologised.

"Alright, that ain't true. I do want ya helpin' me. But we gotta change a few things is all. Ya gotta listen to me. I ain't sayin' I'm the boss o' ya or nothin' but I can teach ya a few things and ya gotta not go runnin' ahead on stuff without switchin' it off first."

She grinned, hoping a little light-heartedness would bring back the cheerful Lucky. It seemed to work.

Cyril Leland Wade

October 31, 2013, 11:46:26 AM #5 Last Edit: November 27, 2013, 06:26:27 PM by Cyril Leland Wade
Pirates of old had all sorts of sea monsters that kept them from exploring unknown regions. Giant sea-serpents, the Kraken, kelpies, sirens, umibozu... to name a few. The Black had only one. Reavers.

They never should have been out this far. They all knew it. They'd all heard the First Mate arguing with the Captain. The Captain had accused the First Mate of being superstitious and cowardly. The First Mate accused the Captain of being fool-hardy and reckless. Turned out the First Mate was right. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

They were powered down and floating. The Captain had insisted this was the best tactic with Reavers. Just float on by. "We mind our business they'll mind theirs," he'd said. The First Mate had argued that with the amount of distance between them, turning and rabbitting would be the safest option. It would have been impossible for the Reaver ship to catch them. The Captain didn't want to change course. "It'll add days to our journey we don't need." The First Mate had practically begged to go to full burn. The Captain had powered down the ship and told all crew to man their stations.

One tense minute passed by. Josey and Lucky were in the engine room. Josey looked like steel. Her breath came slow and steady, her eyes fixed on the comm panel waiting for the order to go to full burn. Lucky didn't feel anywhere close to calm. The only thing keeping him from running around like a crazy person was watching Josey. She didn't seem to even know his eyes were fixed on her. His instinct was to take the ship's shuttle and make a run for it.  It might have made him an easy picking but he didn't care. Just sitting here like a duck felt wrong. He wanted to move, to run, to shout. She was the only thing keeping him grounded right now. She was so still. So strong. So young. So innocent.

"WADE! FULL BURN!" came the cry from the First Mate. The Reaver ship must have changed course towards them after all.

Josey snapped to action, doling out orders to Lucky. He followed them without hesitation. Some he knew himself, others he didn't know why she told him to do but he did them anyway. He called out 'check' to her after every adjustment. They communicated and moved around each other as if they'd been working together for years. The hum of the engine whirred a pitch higher – it was working harder than ever before but it was smooth. They could both feel it. They were getting everything the engine had and it was good.

A boom against the side of the ship shook them violently. Lucky launched himself towards Josey and wrapped his arms around her as they fell to the floor, effectively using himself as a buffer to protect her. A second, smaller boom vibrated through the room. Lucky held her close. And then came a cheer that echoed through the halls of the ship.

"No hits. They're out of range for weapons. They're maintaining pursuit but falling back fast," the First Mate explained. "Keep full burn as long as she's able, let's make sure we've got plenty of distance. Well done you two."

Lucky half-whooped half-sighed with relief. He had Josey on top of him and grinned up at her. He couldn't figure out what the look she gave him was, it seemed like a smile but it was twisted somehow... She rolled off him and laid on her back beside him. She covered her eyes with her arm.

"Well I hope that was as good for – " he'd started making a joke but was cut short. Josey had started to cry. She rolled over so her back was to Lucky as she curled up into a foetal position. Lucky understood her reaction. He'd seen it before, among folk during fierce battles in the war. They were all stoic and strong when they needed to be and the moment relief came they broke down. Lucky rolled over and wrapped his arms around the girl again. He didn't say a word, just held her until she was okay.

Cyril Leland Wade

November 01, 2013, 12:52:03 PM #6 Last Edit: November 27, 2013, 06:31:52 PM by Cyril Leland Wade
"I ain't taking orders from no codfish mutineer. I don't care if the Captain was inept - it ain't right."

Josey was standing defiant in the middle of her cabin as Lucky packed her bags. His own gear was already packed and standing in the middle of the cargo bay, as the First Mate, well, Captain now, had ordered.

"What's he want our stuff for anyway?" Lucky asked. It seemed like some kind of piratical ritual that Josey would know. "He planning on killing us all and taking it as, what, booty?"

Josey grinned. "If he killed us all he'd have no crew."

"Right." Lucky paused to think. He'd finished packing for her and sat on her bed. "So he's only going to kill some of us."

"That's it," smiled Josey. "Prolly just kill the ones as didn't want no part in a mutinee."

Josey's eyes flashed dangerously. They both knew Josey had been quite vocal that she wouldn't support the mutinee. Lucky had figured the Captain had it coming. There'd been plenty of signs that the Captain wasn't worth his salt but the Reaver encounter had sealed it for everyone. Except Josey. Lucky was scared for her. It was a hardened crew and the First Mate looked set to make his authority unquestionable. Lucky wanted to tell her to just play along with the new Captain, at least until they made the next port. He opened his mouth to speak but before he did the ship began to rattle and shake - the telltale sign of breaking through the atmosphere.

"We better get," said Josey, grabbing her stuff. They stumbled their way to the cargo bay and got there in time for the final jerk and slam as the ship hit planetside.

Lucky saw the pilot already in the cargo bay. He gave the man a curiois look as if to say 'who's flying this thing?'

The pilot responded, "Seems the Captain don't wan any'un to know where we is."

There were a few moments of agitated, idle chit chat. Those of the crew who had been physically part of the mutinee were grouped together with grins teasing their faces. They were looking forward to what was coming next.

The new 'Captain' arrived and a hush fell over all the crew. He surveyed the packs and cases assembled in the centre. It seemed to Lucky that there wasn't a full quota of gear there. Some of the bags looked only half filled. He glanced at the mutineers. They clearly knew what was coming. Perhaps they had been exempt from packing. At any rate, the 'Captain' did not seem dismayed.

"Alright," the 'Captain' called everyone's attention. He had no trouble, Lucky noticed, exuding authority. "Let's make this as quick and painless as possible. All those who recognise me Captain of this vessel on this side. All others," he said as he pointed to the cargo elevator.

Lucky hastened to get himself on the right side of the Captain. He caught Josey by the arm and made to pull her with him. She wriggled and pulled free of his grasp. "Josey!" Lucky scolded her in a whisper.

She walked across to the other side of the bay and stood inside the bright red square that marked out the cargo elevator. She spat on the ground twice, turned 360 degrees on the spot and then spat again. Lucky was watching in horror but the Captain laughed.

"I guessed as much," he said almost cheerfully, but Lucky could hear menace in his voice. "If there's noone else?" he looked at a couple people in Lucky's group; they shook their heads or looked at the ground.

"Well then. Josey, you know the code, don'tcha?"

The Captain nodded to one of his officers. They opened her rifle case and took all the ammo, then made a show of putting back one single bullet. They replaced the rifle into the case and then tossed it, with her other bag, onto the elevator pad. She stooped and caught the rifle case just before it hit the floor. The Captain reached into his coat and pulled out a gun.

That was enough for Lucky. He quick-drew one of his mother-of-pearl revolvers and took a step forward. The gun was cocked and pointed at the Captain's head before the Captain had aimed his gun at Josey. Out of the corner of his eye Lucky saw Josey's eyes go wide.

A second later, nearly every other gun was drawn down on Lucky.

"I'm sorry Captain," Lucky spoke confidently even though he knew he was probably about to die. "But I can't in good faith let you kill little Josey here."

The Captain was almost laughing as he turned to look at Lucky. Josey slapped a hand to her forehead as if he had done something stupid. Okay, so maybe he had, but he still expected a little gratitude for at least trying to save her life.

"I am a pirate and a mutineer, Mr. Wade, but it will be a long time if I ever start murdering girls," the Captain replied. He looked to his crew. "It's alright lads," he told them calmly. "I've seen Mr. Wade shoot."

Lucky couldn't figure out what was happening. All he could do was keep his gun trained on the Captain until Josey was safe. There didn't seem much chance of himself getting out of this alive but if he could get Josey off the ship...

The Captain continued in his slow drawl, "It's an old pirate custom. If I were going to kill Miss Hawkins here I wouldn't have given her back that fine rifle. I think perhaps you should join her over there Mr. Wade and she'll explain. Fellas, lower your weapons."

Josey gave Lucky a look that said 'get over here'. The rest of the crew had holstered their weapons, but Lucky knew it wouldn't take them long to unholster them again. Someone grabbed Lucky's bags and threw them next to Josey on the platform. Lucky stood beside Josey, keeping his gun up and on the Captain.

"Alright, alright. I can see our little attempt at tradition has not gone down very well. Usually you'd be left with a single bullet, but I'd like to get on with this so to hell with it. Lower them down, and Josey, good luck –" and the Captain started to chuckle.

A crewman hit the elevator button and Josey, Lucky and their gear were lowered to the ground outside. Lucky kept his gun trained on the Captain for as long as he could see him. When they reached the ground they grabbed their stuff and the moment they were off the platform it rose back up. Seconds later, the ship was lifting off. As it rose into the air, Josey started to laugh.

PurpleRiver

November 09, 2013, 05:54:43 PM #7 Last Edit: November 09, 2013, 06:14:53 PM by PurpleRiver

She shouldn't be laughing. Josey knew that. But Lucky's face had just been so... gorram hilarious!

"Oh, I get it," Lucky was saying, "I've seen this before. This is a natural reaction. I've seen many a girl go all delirious after being rescued from certain death by a suave and debonair hero such as myself. It's normal. It'll wear off shortly." That last part sounded more like a command.

The obvious struck Josey. Lucky had genuinely thought her life was in danger. She'd meant to tell him about the pirate ritual the codfish Captain was planning on. It had been hinted at and she'd recognised the signs. It had just been fun watching Lucky fret so much. It was only now that she realised how dangerous her little game had been. Lucky could have been killed back there, trying to save her life. Indeed, if the codfish Captain had been planning on killing her, Lucky would most certainly be dead. He'd been willing to give his life trying to save hers. Suddenly Josey wasn't laughing anymore.

"There, see, I knew you'd come back to your senses. Good. Now we just need to figure out where we are and how to get... well, somewhere. You should put your hat on, that sun's gonna be dangerous. Let's see..."

Josey did as she was told and pulled out her hat from her bag and then started looking for something else. Meanwhile, Lucky licked the tip of his index finger and held it up, "Windspeed and direction is 5 miles per hour south easterly... air temperature is about 60 degrees..."

He crouched down and picked up a handful of sand, running it through his fingers and watching it scatter. "Last rainfall was probably seven weeks ago..."

He continued talking but Josey wasn't listening. Her rummaging had become frantic unpacking.

"Lucky, did you see my PDA?"

It wasn't in the bag.

The funny game was now deathly serious. There would have been no problem with getting dumped in the middle of nowhere on some backwater planet - if she had her PDA with her. Without it she was lost. And she wouldn't be able to wave Will. If Will went a week without hearing from her he'd be coming after her but he wouldn't know where to find her.

Josey was panicking now. She looked around where they were. Nothing but desert and rocks in every direction. She couldn't see a single sign of life, except for a few buzzards circling over head. Lucky was whistling as he picked up his pack and shouldered it.

"Don't worry kid," he said jovially. "Don't need it. This ain't my first foray into the wilderness. We got all the info we need all around us."

Josey looked at him disbelievingly. Nothing he had shown her up until now inspired confidence in his abilities. He was a bad mechanic. He was a bad shooter. Why should she believe he was a good ranger?

He took his hat off to run a hand through his shaggy blonde hair in a way that made Josey unable to think of anything other than how much she wanted to grab that hair herself. He replaced the hat and grinned, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. His smile lit up his eyes as he looked at her.

"Don't ya trust me?"

It turned out she did, absolutely.

Cyril Leland Wade

Lucky was squatting down in the dry grass watching the hare. He was behind and to the right of Josey. The hare still hadn't sensed them yet.

He looked at Josey. She had lined up the shot. He watched her take a deep breath. He could see the muscles along her cheekbone tensing. Around her eyes too, there were creases. He couldn't see all her face but it looked like she was frowning. He looked back at the hare. Something was bothering Josey. She shook her head as if shaking something off. Either she was too sweet a kid to shoot a fuzzy little critter, or she was too proud to admit she couldn't make the shot. Either way, Lucky was going to let her off the hook.

"You know what," he whispered, though he knew it would be loud enough to alert the hare to their presence. Josey turned and looked at him with a look of exasperation. "It'd prolly be smarter to save that bullet. Come on," he said getting to his feet. "I'll show you how to lay a snare."

PurpleRiver

November 27, 2013, 08:39:57 PM #9 Last Edit: November 27, 2013, 08:48:21 PM by PurpleRiver

"Eurgh," Josey couldn't help shivering in disgust as Lucky pulled the skin off the rabbit. She wasn't even looking - it was the sound that really turned her stomach. She'd known local kids back home who grew up killing and preparing animals for food but her family had been farmers, not ranchers. When she dared to look he had skewered it and was now holding it over the fire.

Her eyes moved from the dinner on a stick to Lucky's face. In the flickering glow of the flames... He was even more pretty than usual. He'd been amazing today. They'd been left in the middle of nowhere, with only educated guesses at what planet they were even on. Lucky had figured out which way to go to lead them to water. Then he'd followed tracks to find food. He'd set up a camp, he'd built a fire, he'd snared a rabbit. He'd basically kept them both alive. And she hadn't been able to shoot a gorram hare. She'd had the shot. There was always a chance of a sudden gust of wind or unexpected movement of the animal but short of that, from that distance, Josey knew she'd have hit that hare square between the eyes. She just got frightened. She was no vegetarian and yet shooting that hare had scared the go-se out of her. She wondered if Lucky had really wanted them to save her one rifle bullet or if he had known she was getting upset. She was pretty sure he'd known.

"When I was a kid, maybe twelve or so, I had a pellet gun. I'd go around with the local boys who had guns too. At first we'd just shoot tin cans and bottles. One morning 'fore school they wanted to find a bigger challenge. So we went out looking for critters."

Lucky was watching her. He was listening to her. More than that, he was interested in her every word. That was a rare feeling for Josey, that someone was interested in what she had to say. He didn't look at her like a kid or just a girl. She wondered if he saw her as a woman. She suddenly felt self-conscious about her double braids. That was a childish way to wear her hair. She started undoing the braids as she talked.

"I shot a squirrel. None of them got one so I was real proud. But when I went and looked at it, I got real upset. I felt real guilty about it. And sad. I kept thinking maybe it had like a squirrel wife or squirrel kids."

Josey laughed as if to say 'what a silly little kid I was' but it had been one of the most upsetting moments of her young life.

"I ran off and went to school and didn't talk to those boys all day. I went off on my own for lunch an' all. When I went back into class... We had those old style desks where you'd lift up the lid to get your books underneath. They'd stuck it in there. I remember screaming something fierce. There was quite a ruckus. At the time I didn't really figure that the boys must have gone back and gotten it 'cause they were jealous 'cause they hadn't got one themselves...

When my Pa heard about it I thought he was going to give those boys a hiding, or at least give their folks an earful. But he was madder at me than anything. It was one of the only times I ever remember him getting angry at me. He made me bring that squirrel home, made me skin and gut it and cook it and made me eat it. 'Cause he said no child of his would ever kill for sport. If ya shoot an animal it better be to feed yourself or your family, or 'cause it's attackin' ya. I ain't shot nothin' but tin cans and bottles since then.

Now, I know we were gonna eat that hare today. But staring down at it all I could think of was that squirrel and I just couldn't do it. I reckon if we'd been starving with no other way I coulda done it but... I just felt so bad for that hare. You think I'm stupid?"


Lucky gave Josey a tight-lipped smile and she could see the flames reflected in his eyes. "Naw," he assured her as he shook his head. "It's not stupid to care about a living creature. You've a sweet heart Josey. That's nothing to be ashamed of. If there were more women like you in the 'verse it'd be a better place."

Josey beamed and blushed all at once. That was probably the nicest thing any man had ever said to her. His smile spread into a grin too. "You know, I reckon your pa and mine went to the same school of parenting."

As they ate by the fire, Josey listened to Lucky tell stories about his childhood. It was way harder than Josey's had been. Lucky told stories of having to learn how to slaughter cattle when he didn't want to and of being forced to shoot his own horse when it went lame. He talked a bit about growing up in the shadow of his older brother, and even his younger sisters who were better ranchers in his father's eyes. Josey could relate, being the youngest of five with a lot to live up to. It all just made Josey more and more infatuated with Lucky. 

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