Noble Pirates

[The Captain]

He sighed deeply, slumping over the massive wheel on the main deck of The Krakkan. His white hair hung all over his face, completely still, making his all white eyes narrow. This was terribly boring. The massive war ship had moved maybe a few yards in an hour. The sun beat down on the Captain’s pale white skin. He wore no shirt, only a pair of dark leather pants and calf-high black boots. He wore an eloquent looking rapier at his right side and several curved daggers on his left. His hair still wasn’t moving.

“For the love of the Gods, isn’t there a wretched Air Sedi on this heap?!”

The Captain whirled around and bellowed at his men that were standing around doing absolutely nothing. There was nothing to do. The ship was in pristine order, the sails were pulled, all the rigging secure. They jumped at the sudden eruption from the main at the helm, scurrying about as if to look busy.

“Idiots. I’m surrounded by idiots.”

He groaned, shaking his head as his crew hustled across decks and climbed up ropes and down into the holds of the ship. He slowly turned around and slumped back onto the massive wheel, sighing once more. His hair STILL wasn’t moving. Not a damned Air Sedi aboard the whole ship. Of course there wasn’t. They were too noble and pure. Too good for the Captain’s profession. Fire, Earth, Shadow, Darkness, Death, Lightning and a few Life Sedi, but no infernal Air.

“And I’m the only Water Sedi. By the Depths, this is ridiculous!”

He’d be able to move the ship for awhile, to alter the currents of the massive seas, but not forever. The Captain was an old and experienced Water Sedi, spending most of his life on the seas as a pirate of sorts. He’d definitely done some bad things in his time, but he’d also done a lot of good. Balanced. As far as the Captain was concerned, he was square with the world and the world was square with him. He’d take from a massive merchant ship heavily and give supplies to smaller ships. Soon The Krakkan was revered as a champion and terror, the most known and feared ship to sail.

“WHEN WE CAN MOVE!”

The Captain bashed his clenched fists into the wheel, wincing at the impact. He waved his hands in the air and groaned, turning around to see his crew still scurrying around. He growled to himself, stepping down from the helm. He brushed the sweat away from his damp forehead, moving slowly about the ship, observing the condition of things. How knots were tied, how the wood was scrubbed, how sails were secured.

“Absolute morons. I swear to the Abyss I’ve got the dumbest Sedi in all of Terra Centilina aboard this rig. It’s a wonder we’re still afloat, it really is.”

The Captain turned then as he heard the sound of something striking the deck of the ship. He first glanced upwards and sighed again, closing his eyes. Whatever just smacked into his ship tore through every sail. Shaking his head he slowly opened his eyes, directing his attention now to the source of the impact. He arched a brow, cocking his head slightly as he saw the Sedi on deck crowding around whatever it was that just landed on board. He then frowned as he began to move towards the growing crowed, the crew shouting and beginning to fight, trying to obtain the object. His left hand went for the rapier at his right side, his right hand going for a dagger at his left side. Clutching them both he stopped in front of the rabble of people, now fighting with each other. He could feel the energy in the air shift as some of the Sedi began to channel there Elements.

“Stop this madness you idiots! You’re going to sink us all to the Depths! Get BACK!”

In one fluid motion he tore the rapier from its scabbard, swinging it through the air and smacking one of the Sedi that was closest to him in the face. The Sedi winced and fell away, crying out in pain which caused the rest of the crew to freeze. The Captain once again swung his sword in the air, a powerful arch cutting through the air. The crew parted immediately, and the Captain’s eyes went wide as he saw the object the men were fighting over.

“You scurvy little bastards…”

His right hand moved away from the dagger still sheathed at his side, grabbing the long shaft of the blue looking pole arm. He shivered as his fingers touched the cool metal of the Arc, feeling the fury of the tides fill his body. His legs quivered slightly as he clutched the Arc for support, pulling it from the ship’s deck as he regained his balance.

“Did you fools really think I would let ANY of you keep this? You wouldn’t even bloody well know how to use it! I swear, kreld-eating seaslugs the lot of you! I want the sails patched and sewn back together and the deck repaired! Now! We’ll be in Port by night fall.”

The Captain grumbled at a few lingering crew members before watching them scurry off once more with the rest of the men on board. They ducked into small rooms, grabbing sail cloth and other tools to mend the sails; getting timber from below to repair the damaged deck. He then nodded, satisfied and moved back towards the helm, sheathing is rapier. He smiled to himself, feeling the strength of the strongest currents flowing through him. The Arc shimmered in the bright sun, as the ship creaked, lurching forward.

Steadily, the pace of the ship began to quicken and by the time the sails were repaired they were sailing at top speed. The sails hung limp, and some of the men seemed baffled as to how the ship could be moving. The Captain merely shook his head at the endless moronic questions, channeling his Element through the Arc. The currents of the seas shifted and surged into the ship, forcing it along the Captain’s desired path. They were heading towards Tre Betal.

[The Captain]

His eyes flashed open as he heard banging on the door to his quarters. He groaned slightly, blinking into the darkness as he tossed the blankets off of him, grabbing the Arc of Water as he moved out of his bed. He moved across the rug covered floor of his quarters and unlocked the door, throwing it open. He narrowed his eyes at the two Sedi that stood at his door, the first mate and quarter master.

“Sir! Tre Bet… it isn’t Tre Betal anymore!”

The Captain tilted his head, blinking a few times. He stared at the quarter master, trying to understand what the man had just said. Shaking his head, he brushed the two men aside, moving up onto the main deck of The Krakkan. He blinked a few times upon reaching the deck, eyes going wide as he glanced around at the foreign surroundings. His grip around the Arc of Water tightened.

“By the Depths…”

The Captain moved slowly to the helm, mouth slightly agape at the altered landscape. He could smell the sulfur in the air, and it made him wince. The smell was horrible, and the heat was getting to be intense. But he was in shock, couldn’t understand how this could be. How a volcano could suddenly explode from nothingness in less than a month’s time.

“The Arcs… they must’ve been scattered. But how? What’s going on?”

He spoke to himself, shaking his head slightly. It didn’t make sense. They’d been out to sea for a month or so and apparently seemed unaffected by the dimension shifting. Confusion ravaged the Captain’s brain as he was once again shaken from his thoughts. The ship seemed to shudder as a rumbling could be heard in the distance. Then a loud explosion sound as Fire and Earth Sedi groaned, the Captain’s eyes going wide again.

“This is bad timing, that’s what this is. Fire Sedi on port! Earth Sedi and starboard! I want Life Sedi ready for anything and for the love the Gods Darkness and Shadow Sedi make yourselves useful! Lightning I want you in the sails and Death you be ready for Life Sedi to drop!”

The Captain thrust the Arc of Water into the air as the ship lurched to a halt and slowly began to spin around, a huge plume of fire surging into the sky. He could feel the blazing winds pick up, as if they were sailing on a sea of fire. Sweat poured down his face as the Captain closed his eyes focusing his Element through the extended Arc. Slowly, the ship began to gain speed as huge chunks of molten earth became visible.

The Lightning Sedi in the rigging hurled bolts of lightning at the massive pieces of rock as the soared towards the ship, Fire and Earth Sedi working to neutralize the heat and density of the volcanic shrapnel. Pieces smashed into Darkness and Shadow Sedi as they worked there elements, trying to shield the ship from the large fragments. Life Sedi rushed to heal those that fell, Death Sedi waiting to raise those that the Life Sedi could not save. Chunks of the rock smashed through the masts of the ship, searing through the sails and crashing into the sides of the ship. Gaping holes were ripped into the hull, huge pits being gouged into the decks. By the time the ship was out of range of the massive volcano, it was ravished. Masts were shattered, sails shredded and water was slowly seeping into the holds. The Sedi on board were exhausted.

“Good work men, that was utterly insane. I was quite unaware volcanoes were like weeds and could just spring up. I’m going to carry us out to sea and we’re going to repair this ship. Earth Sedi, get your rest… you’ve got a rough day ahead tomorrow. Darkness and Shadow Sedi, you’re on watch. Don’t let me down boys.”

The tired crew slowly moved either below deck or to their posts, all of them as confused as the Captain as to what just happened. They didn’t have time to think, they just reacted. That was how it always happened. The Captain’s mind saw the situation and he ordered the rest of the crew what to do. They didn’t think, they didn’t hesitate, they just did as they were told. In the direst of moments, that’s when the Captain’s crew was at their best. That thought brought a smile to his face as the ship sailed at top speed back in the path they’d just come.