10-18-2016, 09:46 AM
We cast off from the blasted island back into the deep waters of the Vasty Deep, the new soldiers now stationed and quartered inside the carrier’s hull. I had expected there to be at least some fighting between the two platoons of men, as even rival militarizes from the same counties had a tendency to turn to school yard rock throwing. But it was silent on that front, which made the life in the steel box of a ship less intolerable that it could have been. You might think that the peace was do to some sort of professionalism, but I’ve been in the military long enough to know that being “professional” was only in front of the camera. It was more likely that the offer to give the carrier to Joel and his War Pigs was more than enough to pay his price for compliance. And the fact that any mess his men made on it would be his to fix. Either way, it meant less of a headache for me.
I focused on our next objective at the Isle of Marlow, where hopefully the people are nicer than the last island I was on. The path looked clear, and had I took the free time to pilfer the armory for some upgrades. But what I thought was going to be a relaxing trip playing with my man toys was going to be interrupted by guests whose eyes were too big for their brain. It started with a call while I had half my arsenal in about a hundred different pieces scattered across the room. A panel in the wall light up and started to beep at me expectedly, which only shut up when I smashed my elbow into it and receiving the call without having to put down the half of a shotgun and screwdriver in my hands.
“Yuuh?” I asked through a brush handle that was wedged in my teeth, before I spat it out onto the floor “What is it?”
“H-helmsman Rando here, s-s-sir” The quivering and unsure voice of some greenhorn “Captain wants you on deck”
“Tell her I’m busy” I yelled a little louder than I needed to and looked for that module I took from the armory. How they fit an entire grenade launcher into that thing is a miracle of science.
“What… what are you doing?” he asked.
“If she wanted to know, she should have asked BEFORE she interrupted me” I told him off and started to assemble the shotgun back into a single piece. The barrel snapped beautifully into place with a ‘click', like a piece of art that’s finally come together into something for others to be in awe of (if for the wrong reason). I gave the improved weapon a quick kiss on its frame before I reached over for the polish “If the Captain insist on bugging me, then you can tell her to go fuck herself with the whiskey bottle I know is in her desk.”
“This is not a private call, Doomguy” Came in the voice of the Captain, slightly farther away from the mic. I glared at the panel in silence at the machine, although I was far more annoyed at myself for running into that gag than embarrassed about what I said to a room full of people. I considered telling her off anyway, but I didn’t need to dig that grave any deeper.
“Alright, give me a sec”
“...you called me up. For a whirlpool” I stared out into the view screen as I saw the nautical anomaly whirl in the great ocean like an angry sand pit in the world’s flattest golf course. It was impressive, by my count, as it was like the mythical ship swallower that you heard in old myths and cheesy movies about said myths. But there it was, a few miles out from the bow of the ship. But it still boggled the mind that I needed to be called up for something that could be solved by literally not running into it.
“I was under the assumption than you wanted to be informed about any course changes” The Captain answered, but I could hear that verbal rib poke hidden in her words. I just shook it off, my concentration more on one of the Wa Pig mercs examining the room with an amount of attention to detail no merc would ever care about. Either Joel was so impatient to get his ship that he couldn’t wait for us to get off it to find out about it, or he planned to mutiny it and just take it without even waiting to uphold his side of the bargain. I would have loved to see him try, would have made the trip more exciting if I got to carpet the floors with mercenary gibs.
“Besides, I want to talk to you about something else in private.” She added, and she moved over to her office. That got something out of me, my curiosity got the better of me and followed after. The two of us didn’t exactly know each other, so if there was something we needed to talk about she would have done it when we first talked. Before she threw me in a cell
The room was filled with that you would expect: A lot of nautical memorabilia, which had actually become less out of place now that the ship was didn’t travel through the black void of space. A few rewards and badges around that didn’t go in her chest, and a model of the ship on a pedestal off to the side. Or at least, before I pulled it in.
“So what’s this about? Don’t tell me you’re getting feeling for me” That got a laugh
“I’d rather take the whiskey bottle” The captain answered between chuckles as she took her seat. I threw a few laughs in as well, even if the joke was on me “No, this is about what’s going to happen after we make it to the end of the journey.”
“We get to the island, I walk through the gate, get the Omni and tell him to take us home”
“And what happens between that? How do you get to Omni?” The two questions punched right to the heart. It had not been something I had considered a whole lot in my mad rush to the goal. Why did I need to plan for something I knew nothing about? I had always gotten by on the seat of my pants, and this wouldn’t be any different.
“I have it on a few sources that these gates DO go somewhere. It is possible” I answered, which was really just to avoid saying ‘I’ll figure it out somehow’, which was what I was planning. That still wasn’t what the captain wanted to hear, the corners of her mouth drooped down in silent suffering.
“This is not one of your lone wolf stunts, Doomguy.” the Captain urged, just a little more stern in a voice that was already void of any whimsy. “A lot relies on you knowing how to get us home”
“...I’ll figure it out somehow” Was all I could fall back on. It seemed to do the trick, although it failed to make the military woman any less dour.
“See to it that you do” She she sighed, I’m sure at least in part from disappointment. She got up to head back to the bridge, but after a quick thought I got between her and the door. I needed something that would make this partnership less hostile and for her to trust me. I knew I was going to have put myself out on a limb to get it, but otherwise I would have to hope this voyage would give me a chance I knew was never going to come.
“You want to know my name?” I asked her, and her stare went from annoyed to extremely intense in a moment. She nodded her head, and I groaned in reluctance “It’s John Grimm”
Yes, I did lie to her. But I could apologize when we got home.
A smile smile crept onto her face, that kind that said ‘I’ve finally beat you down’. I knew the truth, but let her keep that happy thought and hid any give away under my helmet.
“Hey now. I told you mine, now you tell me yours; that was the deal” I pointed out, more to sell the lie than anything, and she relented with a small chuckle.
“Elizabeth Hayden” She answered. I gave a nod as I took the time to remember that. There was a whisper of recognition in my mind, something about that last name. But if there was anything to it then I was drawing blanks. Elizabeth herself seemed to have expected something, her eyes on me as if she was watching for something to explode. I think that awkward pause would have went on for an hour if it wasn’t interrupted by a message from the bridge.
“Captain, we have three ships on approach vector with us”
We looked each other eyes to visor with curiosity and a slight hint of anticipation as we moved back into the room and watched as three wooden junkers moved towards out position.
I focused on our next objective at the Isle of Marlow, where hopefully the people are nicer than the last island I was on. The path looked clear, and had I took the free time to pilfer the armory for some upgrades. But what I thought was going to be a relaxing trip playing with my man toys was going to be interrupted by guests whose eyes were too big for their brain. It started with a call while I had half my arsenal in about a hundred different pieces scattered across the room. A panel in the wall light up and started to beep at me expectedly, which only shut up when I smashed my elbow into it and receiving the call without having to put down the half of a shotgun and screwdriver in my hands.
“Yuuh?” I asked through a brush handle that was wedged in my teeth, before I spat it out onto the floor “What is it?”
“H-helmsman Rando here, s-s-sir” The quivering and unsure voice of some greenhorn “Captain wants you on deck”
“Tell her I’m busy” I yelled a little louder than I needed to and looked for that module I took from the armory. How they fit an entire grenade launcher into that thing is a miracle of science.
“What… what are you doing?” he asked.
“If she wanted to know, she should have asked BEFORE she interrupted me” I told him off and started to assemble the shotgun back into a single piece. The barrel snapped beautifully into place with a ‘click', like a piece of art that’s finally come together into something for others to be in awe of (if for the wrong reason). I gave the improved weapon a quick kiss on its frame before I reached over for the polish “If the Captain insist on bugging me, then you can tell her to go fuck herself with the whiskey bottle I know is in her desk.”
“This is not a private call, Doomguy” Came in the voice of the Captain, slightly farther away from the mic. I glared at the panel in silence at the machine, although I was far more annoyed at myself for running into that gag than embarrassed about what I said to a room full of people. I considered telling her off anyway, but I didn’t need to dig that grave any deeper.
“Alright, give me a sec”
Quote:----
“...you called me up. For a whirlpool” I stared out into the view screen as I saw the nautical anomaly whirl in the great ocean like an angry sand pit in the world’s flattest golf course. It was impressive, by my count, as it was like the mythical ship swallower that you heard in old myths and cheesy movies about said myths. But there it was, a few miles out from the bow of the ship. But it still boggled the mind that I needed to be called up for something that could be solved by literally not running into it.
“I was under the assumption than you wanted to be informed about any course changes” The Captain answered, but I could hear that verbal rib poke hidden in her words. I just shook it off, my concentration more on one of the Wa Pig mercs examining the room with an amount of attention to detail no merc would ever care about. Either Joel was so impatient to get his ship that he couldn’t wait for us to get off it to find out about it, or he planned to mutiny it and just take it without even waiting to uphold his side of the bargain. I would have loved to see him try, would have made the trip more exciting if I got to carpet the floors with mercenary gibs.
“Besides, I want to talk to you about something else in private.” She added, and she moved over to her office. That got something out of me, my curiosity got the better of me and followed after. The two of us didn’t exactly know each other, so if there was something we needed to talk about she would have done it when we first talked. Before she threw me in a cell
The room was filled with that you would expect: A lot of nautical memorabilia, which had actually become less out of place now that the ship was didn’t travel through the black void of space. A few rewards and badges around that didn’t go in her chest, and a model of the ship on a pedestal off to the side. Or at least, before I pulled it in.
“So what’s this about? Don’t tell me you’re getting feeling for me” That got a laugh
“I’d rather take the whiskey bottle” The captain answered between chuckles as she took her seat. I threw a few laughs in as well, even if the joke was on me “No, this is about what’s going to happen after we make it to the end of the journey.”
“We get to the island, I walk through the gate, get the Omni and tell him to take us home”
“And what happens between that? How do you get to Omni?” The two questions punched right to the heart. It had not been something I had considered a whole lot in my mad rush to the goal. Why did I need to plan for something I knew nothing about? I had always gotten by on the seat of my pants, and this wouldn’t be any different.
“I have it on a few sources that these gates DO go somewhere. It is possible” I answered, which was really just to avoid saying ‘I’ll figure it out somehow’, which was what I was planning. That still wasn’t what the captain wanted to hear, the corners of her mouth drooped down in silent suffering.
“This is not one of your lone wolf stunts, Doomguy.” the Captain urged, just a little more stern in a voice that was already void of any whimsy. “A lot relies on you knowing how to get us home”
“...I’ll figure it out somehow” Was all I could fall back on. It seemed to do the trick, although it failed to make the military woman any less dour.
“See to it that you do” She she sighed, I’m sure at least in part from disappointment. She got up to head back to the bridge, but after a quick thought I got between her and the door. I needed something that would make this partnership less hostile and for her to trust me. I knew I was going to have put myself out on a limb to get it, but otherwise I would have to hope this voyage would give me a chance I knew was never going to come.
“You want to know my name?” I asked her, and her stare went from annoyed to extremely intense in a moment. She nodded her head, and I groaned in reluctance “It’s John Grimm”
Yes, I did lie to her. But I could apologize when we got home.
A smile smile crept onto her face, that kind that said ‘I’ve finally beat you down’. I knew the truth, but let her keep that happy thought and hid any give away under my helmet.
“Hey now. I told you mine, now you tell me yours; that was the deal” I pointed out, more to sell the lie than anything, and she relented with a small chuckle.
“Elizabeth Hayden” She answered. I gave a nod as I took the time to remember that. There was a whisper of recognition in my mind, something about that last name. But if there was anything to it then I was drawing blanks. Elizabeth herself seemed to have expected something, her eyes on me as if she was watching for something to explode. I think that awkward pause would have went on for an hour if it wasn’t interrupted by a message from the bridge.
“Captain, we have three ships on approach vector with us”
We looked each other eyes to visor with curiosity and a slight hint of anticipation as we moved back into the room and watched as three wooden junkers moved towards out position.
![[Image: oGzCtPC.png]](http://i.imgur.com/oGzCtPC.png)