High Stakes [Fehl/Muze]

[Zen]

Turn 2759, 10th Pass, 4th Turn

Treyjen

It had been some time since they had kept a captured ship, but they had enough hands to split the crew to expand to a third ship in their fleet and there was something about the Bright Wing that made it so Treyjen couldn’t quite bring himself to cannibalize her. She’d clearly been very well maintained and he was sure she was a newer construction too. Perhaps it was the fact that she seemed of an age with his Storm’s Eye that made him hesitant. Either way, he’d been thinking they could use a third ship soon and the Bright Wing would do nicely. It hadn’t been a solid plan when they’d first run her down, but after having a thorough look at the ship, he’d made up his mind.

Which meant that what remained of the ship’s original crew was a bit luckier than most. It would be best to have several of them who knew the ship well aboard to help the rest of the crew come to know her faster. So he was planning to let quite a few more of them live than he normally did. Still, there were more still alive than they needed, more than was safe to accept, so he’d have to thin the herd and try to determine which of them would be the most useful and the most likely to integrate with the rest of his crew.

He stood outside the captain’s quarters and had each man brought over to him so he could speak to them individually. Some were easy enough to decide on. He had no need for whimpering cowards in his crew and plenty of the men still alive were only so because they hadn’t even tried to fight. When one man could do nothing but plead for his life he only sighed, “Let the sea have him.” More pleading ensued as the man was dragged away. One ought to die with a bit more dignity, in Treyjen’s opinion.

The next man brought before him spoke before he had a chance. “I’m a skilled navigator! I can be useful to you!” the man insisted immediately, his fear plain on his face, “It… it was my main job here.”

Treyjen studied the man for a moment. It was a common claim. Skilled navigators were highly prized among sailors as it was not a skill that was easily learned. The Bright Wing would likely benefit from keeping the man aboard, if he was telling the truth. “Hm…,” Treyjen considered him a moment longer, his tone dropping seriously, “Navigating is not a skill you can fake. If you fail a test and prove to be lying, your death will not be as simple as a leap into the sea. I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

The man swallowed visibly and shook his head, insistent still, “I’m not lying! I swear! I can prove it! Ask-ask my crewmates! They know, they’ll vouch for me!”

“Perhaps I shall. And you’ll have your test to pass later. For now, I suppose, you live. Congratulations. What’s your name?”

“Valder, s-sir-I mean captain,” the man rushed out, already looking relieved.

Treyjen waved his hand for Valder to be taken back to where the rest of the crew had been rounded up. Normally he would ask more questions, but he was inclined to believe the man was telling the truth, and it would be a waste not to give him a chance if he was. Even if he was a bit more skittish than Treyjen would like. As the next man was brought before him, he was at least able to speak first this time, nodding in the direction of Valder, “Your crewmate Valder claimed to be your ship’s navigator. Is that true?” The question was a test in itself. Would he throw his crewmate overboard, so to speak, and try to claim that he was the ship’s navigator instead? Would he back the man, even if later he proved to be lying? If nothing else, at least this one didn’t immediately start begging for his life, which was a point in his favor. He tried to remember if he’d seen the man fighting at all, but couldn’t recall, “And tell me your name, and your duties aboard this ship.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Fehloax;

He grunted and sighed, looking after the man who was obviously being guided to the group who wouldn’t be dying. Fehloax had hoped… well, wasn’t surrendering enough? All he could think about was being alive and wanting to live, all he wanted to not think about was the blood that had sullied his home, the ghosts of people leaving their body lifeless, being carelessly thrown overboard. It was a harsh culture he was entirely unfamiliar with and felt a bit dazed by it, but he had tried to keep focused after watching with horror at the ferocity of the crew that had fought their way into claiming his home. Alive, the goal was to stay alive. There was a greedy tendril of thought that sparked at the man's question – to claim the title of navigator himself… but his knowledge on such was very limited, and he was regretting this as he followed his sigh with, “Aye.”

His brown gaze went back to the man, the Captain he supposed. He’d been out of it when they’d been unceremoniously tossed into a line to meet with him, not really hearing their instructions, though now he wished he’d been paying more attention.

“Fehloax.” His name didn’t seem all that important in the magnitude of what was happening in that moment. A name wasn’t how he was going to impress this man, though he did seem to finally realize the importance of this meeting. He swallowed thickly, his throat dry, his voice cracked at first as he started to speak. “Duties? It’s been… a privilege to work on The Bright Wing.” Obviously the man just wanted to know if he was worth not killing, not the sentimental worth of the ship to Fehl. He took a quiet calming breath, trying to think of the words that would summarize his work on his home. His words were soft, but clear enough to carry to Treyjen. “I usually lead the teams for any care of the ship. I also fill in for those unable to do their duties...Or I did.” Or were inadequate in their duties, he’d also go and redo certain procedures when he wanted things a certain way. He ended in the thoughtful realization he was talking present tense, when that was no longer his place to say. “Including a lot of the inventory work, preparing the crates for trade, determining their worth…along with the care of the ship.” Of course it hadn’t just been him doing these things, but his goal was to prove himself to live, not anyone else. He’d been making his way up the food chain…and now…for what? To either die or end up as fodder for this new crew… having to work his way back up the ladder once more. With that irritating thought he looked up from his thoughtful glance that had been resting on the Captain’s chest, but not really focused on anything in particular. Now he looked straight at the man, calm before the storm, even if his blood pulsed quickly with the bit of fear and anger swirling around under his façade. “What is it that you are looking for, wanting to hear from us?” He would never beg, but if he never knew, how could he prove himself?

Zen

[Zen]

Treyjen

The man’s answer seemed resigned, which only led Treyjen to wonder if he had considered claiming it for himself. He hadn’t, however, which was what mattered. So it seemed Valder was indeed telling the truth and not making empty claims. And then he had a name. “Well met, Fehloax,” he greeted the man with a facetious grin. It was hardly well met on Fehloax’s part, and remained to be seen otherwise, but if he turned out to be useful then it was at least a one-sided statement.

He wasn’t sure just what led Fehloax to lead with how it had been a privilege to work on the ship, but it would seem to suggest a fondness for the ship, or his work, or the people he worked with, in any combination. It was a small insight, so he didn’t dismiss it even if it didn’t really answer his initial question. Fehloax took a moment to get to an actual answer, but Treyjen was rather impressed with how calm he was in comparison to many of the men he had questioned. And when he finally spoke again, he was a deal more coherent than some of them as well.

That his main duties included ship maintenance was good. That meant he would know her well. If he was leading the efforts, he must have worked aboard for at least a few turns to be trusted to oversee the ship’s maintenance. Treyjen’s brow rose with interest as he continued and mentioned inventory work. “Can you read and write, then? And how well?” Plenty of sailors either couldn’t do much more than sign their names or had only a rudimentary literacy, so if Fehloax had a decent grasp on the skills that was yet another point in his favor.

The question was a bit unexpected. Generally the men were far more concerned with answering his questions over asking any of their own. “I can respect a man wanting to get straight to the point,” Treyjen replied with some amusement, “I’m looking for men who aren’t a waste of my time. You must be useful initially, of course, but if we end up killing you in a month or two because you’ve decided to make a stupid choice, then I’d much rather just get it done and out of the way now and save us all the trouble. So let me return the favor and get straight to the point with you, then. Can you make peace with being a pirate? Can you adapt to this new way of life?” He gestured broadly around them, “If not, admit it and I’ll grant you a quick death for the honesty, because if you lie now and change your mind later, it will not be so easy for you.”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Fehloax;

The irony in his words weren’t lost on Fehloax. He simply raised an eyebrow momentarily, noting the humor in the man’s expression. It was strange to think that a man could spill blood and be in such a mood. “Hm.” He made a noise of acknowledgement, but did not return the greeting, biting back a sarcastic retort and nodded once in a jerky movement.

“I can.” He responded, with a smoother nod, his eyes rising to meet the Captain’s gaze framed by dark eyebrows. He was glad he’d sought to improve upon it after being accepted aboard the ship. His desire and ability to learn and correct himself had been one of the reasons he’d risen in rank, so to speak. He’d been appointed more and asked to step in – he was reliable. But this man didn’t know that, not yet. “Well enough to be asked to help with trading affairs. I can show you if it will be agreeable to you.”

‘I can’ was not ‘I do’ - respect, and he listened eagerly to how he could earn that respect. Earn his life back from the depths he was in. He was surprised though, that Treyjen’s qualifications were not… something he could prove like reading or writing. It was a quality he wanted. And the question… it was something that cleared all other feelings in his chest and left an empty cavity. Fehloax prided himself on being easy going and being able to adapt, but this… His gaze had fallen away from the Captain in tumultuous thought. The last words seemed to echo inside himself, the thought of dying quickly – the thought of dying at all. The fear of the unknown gripped his soul, forcing his eyes back up to the Captain with a determined and solemn gaze.

“You cannot throw a fish onto land and assume it will adapt so quickly to its new life, but sir, I do value my life, very highly.” He had stopped fighting early in the raid, observing the battle experience of the pirates were far superior than his own, and had not wanted to sacrifice him stupidly. He would want to point it out, if it didn’t make him look like a coward without explaining himself. Instead he continued, “I swear not to harm your crew or make some foolish choice, if you will allow me time to get used to your… way of life.” Becoming a pirate. He supposed it was a good thing he never knew his parents. That he had no one to disappoint with his life choices. It was about survival, about living; and how could one enjoy life – if one was dead?

[Zen]

Treyjen

A short laugh escaped him at the man’s response to his greeting. It seemed they rarely knew quite how to respond whenever he did so, as they were generally too afraid to be completely honest with him. He enjoyed seeing just how they would respond anyway, even if it was mostly different versions of the same. Sometimes they surprised him, but not often. If he didn’t have a line of men waiting to be questioned, he might have poked at him more about it, but alas, he did have several others to get through, and deciding fates was a tedious process without dragging it out further.

So he knew the ship and her contents well, most likely. If what he was saying was true, anyway, and Treyjen was inclined to believe him. It wasn’t like it would be difficult to determine whether he was lying about being able to read and write at a level that was worth anything. He waved his hand dismissively at the offer to prove himself, “I don’t believe you stupid enough to lie about it, and you can prove yourself later, at that. Whoever becomes the new captain of this ship will likely put you to good use.”

A flicker of amusement passed over his features again as Fehloax stated that he valued his own life highly. Didn’t most? Well he supposed there were those that valued their own honor and morals over their lives, willing to choose death over becoming a pirate. He respected those men and it was a shame they had to die, but there wasn’t much other option. At least dying for your convictions was a far more dignified way to go than begging for your life like a coward. “Mm… your crew,” he corrected the man’s wording, “If you want to survive among us, I suggest you start changing your way of thinking of us, the sooner the better. But rest assured… there will be plenty of time for you to adapt. You needn’t even participate in any killing if you find you haven’t the stomach for it. Not all men do.”

He studied Fehloax for a long moment, “Your freedoms will be restricted for a time, out of necessity for the safety of my crew, but once you’ve proven yourself one of us, you will regain them soon enough. I imagine you understand I can’t just take your word that you will not get some foolish notion in your head and put anyone at risk. The faster you adapt, the sooner you will earn your freedom back.” With another touch of amusement, he raised a brow, his tone hinting at sarcasm, “Did you have any other questions for me, Fehloax, or have I answered to your satisfaction?”

tovaana

[tovaana]

Fehloax;

His eyebrows rose momentarily at his words about the new captain putting him to use. He was going to live, he told himself, a thrill of hope zinging through him. Did he do it? Did he pass the test, whatever that was?

Treyjen then pushed the idea of ‘your crew’, so his crew – which meant he was to survive, if he had to start thinking like that. It would not be easy, he already knew that, with the blood that spattered his home as testament to that.

And then he went on, describing how his new life was going to be for the time being. He felt his muscles relax where he hadn’t realized they had been tense before; from his jaw and shoulders, to his legs and toes that had curled at the nauseating idea of death. He had cheated death this day, that was all that mattered. There was still more work to do – to prove himself that he was a murderous pirate and at the same time, trustworthy… it seemed a juxtaposition in his mind, but one he’d have to come to terms with.

He supposed he should feel embarrassed by the Captain’s amused poking in the last question and all its finality. Perhaps the Captain wasn’t used to questions from the other side, perhaps just a bunch of begging – which he had considered as an option, but it had seemed too… weak. He’d already given up fighting early in the fight, the last thing he’d needed to be seen doing was on his knees pleading for his life. He wondered briefly if his reaction to realizing he would probably live, was also that he realized he wouldn’t have to beg and give up what bit of dignity he had left in the current circumstances.

The smallest of smiles hinted at one of the corners of his lips. “No, as long as I have answered to your satisfaction… and unless you have tips for this fish to survive in its new home… then I am also satisfied.”

I get to live. This fish will live another day. Now, if this fish was going to be living with sharks, he’d have to learn to be one too. He wasn’t sure what that was going to look like, but at the moment he didn’t have to care.