Tide of Shadows Ch 21: The Captain's Table

Nahg watched as the distant flickers of lanterns and asuran magitech lamps drew inexorably closer. Overhead, a thin layer of clouds dulled the starlight, leaving the seas an inky black eager to swallow them up. As he leaned over the railing and stared out over the bow, his stomach churned like a vat of live grubs and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath of the briny air. The waves gently lapping against the ship’s hull soothed his mind and helped him focus.

This was a moment he’d wanted—no, needed! He’d craved a chance to prove himself, to show the captain that he was worthy of being an officer on her ship. Now, after several months as a part of her crew, she was tasking him with a mission. A mission so vital, that if it did not go well, it would spell the end of the ship. 

Quiet, heavy footsteps on the deck echoed. “Are you ready for this, young one?”

Nahg took in one more long breath and let it out in a relaxed, focused sigh. He pushed back from the rail and turned to the dark shape that was the ship’s bosun. Nahg wasn’t tall for a charr, but even if he had been, Jorg Bitterale would have still towered over him. But now, he found the norn leaning over the railing himself, putting his head level with Nahg's.

The charr gave a small nod. “Yessir.”

“This isn’t just ferrying people to and from the ship, Nahg. You’re going into combat.” The bosun put a firm, comforting hand on Nahg’s shoulder. Even in the dim light, the norn’s creased brow was visible.“You’ll have to keep your focus despite the chaos of the fight.”

Nahg gave a growl. “Understood. I’m ready.”

“Good.” Jorg smiled and squeezed Nahg’s shoulder just a little. 

Nahg smiled back, but he still felt the grubs writhing in his gut.

Another pair of footsteps approached. He recognized the smaller, lighter creaks in the deck. The captain was coming.

“Crewman Nahg…” The footfalls stopped a few feet away. Captain Jos’s commanding voice soothed something inside the crewman. “Let’s get started.”

Nahg caught a glimpse of the captain’s eyes and swore something was different. She was different. There was an intensity he’d never seen before.

In the captain’s quarters, the stuffy, musty air tickled Nahg’s nose. He let out a low, gurgling growl to try and clear his throat, but it did little good. He decided that he’d just have to live with it. To his left, he found a large, round table covered in charts and other papers, as well as a few empty rum mugs. To his right was the captain’s bed. A massive thing, with posts reaching almost to the ceiling and covered in thick blankets and pillows, all disheveled and a mess.

“Over here, crewman,” Jos called out.

Nahg headed for the table. Also seated there, were the first mate, Nexx, and the Arcane Council’s representative, Danni. A second later, Jorg came in and took his seat.

The first mate pulled a paper out from under the stack of charts and flattened it out over the rest. “Now, this is a rough sketch of the Inquest’s ship, based on standard Inquest design and what I remember from our brief encounter.”

The charr’s paw rose into the air. 

Nexx chuckled. “This is not the College of Synergistics. You do not have to raise your hand. You have a question, ask.”

Nahg pulled in a growling snort and pointed at the crude drawing of the enemy ship. “Uh, we’re going after them?”

The captain arched an eyebrow. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

His eyes widened. “Uh.. no? Uh, very good. Uhhh… carry on.”

The first mate glanced at the captain with an amused look, which vanished the second he saw that her face was hard and serious as stone. She blinked and continued. “All right then. Here’s how this is gonna lay out. Now, if anyone has any suggestions, please tell me now. The only bad idea is one not spoken.”

Over the next twenty minutes, Captain Jos Blackfyre laid out her plan for an assault on the enemy ship. Every word that came out of her mouth was precise and efficient. There was little camaraderie or warmth in her voice. He’d heard she might have been a soldier in the Pact before, now he believed it.

Several times Nahg had questions but—despite what she’d said—he was too nervous to speak up. By the time he mustered the courage to open his mouth, she’d covered his concern. When she got to his part in the plot, he leaned in closer as if it would help him absorb the information better.

As she spoke, the grubs in his gut writhed and twisted, threatening to send his lunch back up his throat. But he swallowed hard and kept everything down. Eventually, the captain finished. 

Leaning back in his chair, Nahg let out a soft growl. Everyone at the table turned to look at him and he froze. He put his paw over his mouth. “Oops.”

Nexx arched an eyebrow. “Something you want to say, Crewman?”

“Um.” The charr’s gaze flicked to each person at the table. He really hadn’t wanted to say anything, he was just...trying to absorb it all. “No, I—”

“It’s okay,” the captain interrupted, a hint of warmth returning to her voice. “Look, this is a big deal. And if we had any other way, we’d do it. But we don’t. And this isn’t just fending off a few krait who ambush us. We’re heading into combat, we’re picking this fight.”

“Yes Captain.”

“And you should know,” she continued. 

Nexx and Danni blinked and turned to the captain, surprise and no small amount of confusion on their faces.

Jos held out a hand and patted the air. “Full disclosure. As part of this little, uh war council, you should know that this is my fault. They came to me with an offer, and I took it. This is me trying to fix it.”

The news rippled through Nagh, but he did his best not to show any reaction. After several seconds, Jos arched an eyebrow. ‘Well?”

Nahg looked around. “Well?”

“Does this change your mind about participating? I won’t order you to do this?”

The charr cocked his head. “Why would it change my mind? The crew follows you because we believe in you. You’re the captain.”

Everyone’s faces changed, each one showing a different reaction. Jorg’s face split in a broad smile and his chest swelled with pride. Nexx just gave a simple nod, as if Nahg’s reaction was the only logical one. Danni’s expression morphed into one of absolute confusion. Nahg understood that she wasn’t part of an actual crew, which to him meant she’d never understand. 

But it was the captain’s reaction that really made Nahg think. At first, he didn’t think she’d had a reaction at all. Her face remained the stony visage that she’d held during the entire briefing. But, after a few seconds he realized that her face had changed. Her jaw had tightened just the slightest bit, and she’d swallowed hard. The last thing he noticed was that her eyes had taken on a tiny bit of glassiness to them, as if there was suddenly a little too much moisture there.

Nexx cleared his throat, jolting everyone out of the silence. “Okay, well let us get ready then.”

Mumbles of agreement filled the room as the officers shoved their chairs back and stood. A firm hand slapped Nahg on the back. Jorg smiled down at him as they made their way to the exit.