The Pit, Port Pelagie, Fleet Territory

  Mid-Dry Season, Year 17

  “Jo, come ooon,” Seiwuai said, pulling me by the arm.

  “That’s not my name,” I said without slowing down.

  I was unrelenting, striding across the pit towards the fistful of tents ‘Mr. Alba’ and his goons had claimed for themselves. I made the point of walking through the empty space in the centre of the pit, drawing attention to myself as I marched towards our confrontation. We were getting close to lunch by my count, and the eyes that were already turned towards the area in anticipation of food followed me with murmured interest as I went. Perfect.

  Seiwuai was there too, I guess, since she refused to let go.

  “We can’t bother Mr. Alba!” she complained. “He’s already got people he’s mentoring!”

  I spared Seiwuai a glance, wondering where her strange and warped viewpoint on the world came from.

  It had taken a few days for my arms to fully recover, days I’d spent trying to remember the feeling I’d had in those borrowed memories from the memory shell. Learning to sense the energy in my own body. It was weaker but definitely there which, heh, points to me ‘cause I’m really a Seaman after all. Then Seiwuai had certainly put me through my paces trying to make a magic boat out of the thing. I’d only even been on a boat twice, and the only one I was old enough to remember was the one that dropped my ass off here.

  The other thing I’d done, when Seiwuai’d finally stopped paying attention to me for a second, was gather some information - on Byron Alba. The sleepy son-of-a-bitch who broke my arms in the first place to teach me a lesson.

  “We can just practice the Formation by ourselves! We’ve almost got it perfectly! Let’s just go back!”

  Her trying to persuade me to leave did a better job of announcing our presence than I could have, as I saw Raspy’s head pop-up from behind a tattered tent and immediately grimaced. He ducked back down quickly.

  Good, that should save me a couple minutes.

  “Seiwuai, shut up for a second,” I said, reaching up to pry her fingers off my arm.

  “Don’t tell me to shut up,” she replied, before - mercifully - shutting up.

  Raspy, Giggles, and Shirtless emerged from behind a tent, although Shirtless had gotten past his name. He’d pulled the top of his jumpsuit up but the whole thing looked kinda loose, so I understood why he didn’t before. In fact…the whole thing looked pretty new, for someone who’d been down here-

  That bastard stole my clothes while I was unconscious.

  ...alright, that was funny enough I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Besides, insulting Byron by beating up his goons again would be counter-productive.

  Still, if I caught him alone, I was taking everything he was wearing.

  Seiwuai hummed some tune under her breath nervously, still pulling on my arm but also managing to hide behind it somehow, as the surliest of the three addressed me. “Come back for another beating, kid?” Raspy growled.

  “No, I’m not here for you,” I answered, walking towards them but staring over their shoulders.

  “And what makes you think you’re worth the boss’ time?” Giggles asked.

  “You couldn’t stop me even if I wasn’t,” I said. I walked into arm's reach and the three of them tensed, preparing for me to do something, but instead I just walked even closer until there was just enough space between my chest and Shirtless to fit a fist. I looked down at him, tilting my head to the side slightly. “Nice clothes.” He smiled, warily. “You gonna move?”

  “Kid, you really gotta learn some goddamn subtlety,” Byron muttered, crawling out from inside a nearby tent, catching me by surprise. He pushed himself to his feet with a big yawn, stretching his arms into the air and scratching under his arm. “Seeoh’s blood, I thought you were street, but you’re just blustering into everything like a Seaman.”

  “Turns out I am,” I said, shrugging.

  He paused, looking at me, then looked away with a smile. “We are, aren’t we?” He shook his head. “So what’d you come looking for me for? And you brought Little Yuai with you, hello miss!”

  Little Yuai? Who was he-

  “Ah, hello, Mr. Alba,” Seiwuai replied, stepping forward and giving him a very proper bow. “I apologize for the rudeness, but Johannes really wanted to speak to you.”

  Byron waved a hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said. “How are you coming along? Have you made any progress since our last talk?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she said, bowing again. When the hell did they have time to talk? “A lot, actually. Your advice has been very helpful.”

  He laughed, gesturing for her to straighten up. “That’s what old men like us are for, Little Yuai,” he said. “I might not be the best, but I’ve been around enough to see a few things. But spare a thought for old Mr. Alba and his family when you become an Admiral yourself, eh?”

  “Ah, that’s, er,” Seiwuai said, flustered.

  Byron turned to me, amused as she fought to get a hold of herself, clearly evaluating me. That was fine - I had let them talk and waited patiently, because we both knew the game. He was testing my patience. Someone who came to fight wouldn’t wait for you finish your conversation, and someone who came to talk would put up with-

  “So, young man,” Byron said, putting one hand to his chin. “We haven’t introduced ourselves.” I nodded, and opened my mouth, but he beat me to it. “My name is Byron Alba. Ordinary Seaman. Maybe…” He shrugged helplessly. “...three thousand hours at sea?”

  I took the gesture as offered, the implied respect of Byron introducing himself first. Pretending we were equals. “I’m Johannes, a foundling. I uh…don’t know? Seaman, a thousand hours, I guess.”

  Byron raised an eyebrow at that. “I don’t think so, kid. Not unless they tossed you in here without your sea legs.” He gestured to the walls of the pit, damp with seawater. “This place is a pressure cooker for folks like us. Shoving energy down your throat until you learn to use it, or choke.”

  “Hey, first I ever heard of that was this week,” I shrugged again. “I don’t really know how you measure something like that.”

  “It’s not that important. You’re just stronger than you realize,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “You should try and keep track of that.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  I nodded and took a breath. “Boss Byron,” he raised an eyebrow, “I’d like to be part of your crew.”

  I knelt after that, pressing one knee to the sand and ignoring the indignant yell from Raspy. Byron looked at me searchingly and asked, “Why?”

  “You’re the strongest person I’ve met,” I admitted, remembering the tearing, twisting rush wind from his Warship’s first shot. The crushing feeling of being ground into the dirt, an impossible force punching through my entire body and realizing I got taken by the distraction even as the second shot demolished me. Seiwuai and I could manage a…decent enough ship of our own, and according to her the fact that we already had a mast and had a complicated rope set-up was a sign of real progress for us, but it lacked...impact.

  I very clearly remembered the feeling of looking at his ship, the scary feeling as it pointed a cannon at me.

  “In my life, I think. I don’t know what’s coming next, but you seem like you have an idea of how to handle things.”

  He stared at me for a long moment while I stayed down. His lips started to quiver and I worried I’d said something and tripped over a scorpion in his history, until he started belly-laughing, genuinely holding his stomach as he went. I looked at him, lost.

  “The- the strongest,” he wheezed. “The strongest!” It took a while for him to get himself under control, wiping a tear from his eye that left me feeling...embarrassed for a reason I couldn’t place. “Kid- Johannes. You’ve got eyes, but you’re watching the shadows instead of stepping out of the cave.”

  “What do you mean?” I frowned.

  “I’m fifty, kid,” he said, still smiling broadly. “Closer to fifty five, since I’ve been in this damn pit for so long. And I only just broke into Ordinary Seaman in the last two months.” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not strong. I just started this race before you.”

  “But- Mr. Alba, you’ve given me good advice,” Seiwuai said, startling me. Damn, I forgot she was here. I didn’t know she could be quiet for that long. “The entire reason I can form a solid Warship now is thanks to you.”

  Byron waved a hand, dismissively. “That was life advice, Little Yuai. I may not be strong, but I’m definitely older than you. Old enough that I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and can help you through some of the obvious ones.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, straightening up and letting my hands drop. “So you’re...turning me away?”

  “Damn right I am,” Byron said, seriously. “Why are you in the Fleets?”

  I blinked, surprised at the question. I didn’t exactly want to admit- well, fuck it, Byron knew what the real world was like. “They pegged me for some crimes, really juiced my record,” I said. “Said I had to join or lose my hands.”

  “You did what?” Seiwuai said, horrified.

  “What’d they say you did?” Byron raised an eyebrow.

  I shrugged. “Lots of petty theft. Public violence. Loitering. One case of watering down alcohol.”

  “Alright, I’d say you earned it for that last one,” Byron said, stroking his chin. “You saying you didn’t do it?”

  “No, but-. They’re saying I’m a Seeker and I can’t use that to oppress mortals,” I muttered.

  “That’s true,” Byron nodded. “That’s why the Fleets don’t arrest guys like us.” I frowned. “Well, guys like me.”

  “But I’m not a Seeker!” I complained.

  Byron smiled at me. “Aren’t you?”

  I opened my mouth, and shut it grudgingly.

  “You know, you can retire from the Fleets,” Byron said, wandering over to an old anvil and taking a seat. “You only need a certain minimum of service once you pass training here. You go out, get sent to a Flotilla, do your time…Afterwards, you could leave and do...just about anything you want.” He shrugged. “Plenty of ways for a Seaman to make money and live comfortably without living like we did.”

  I...forgot about that. I thought you were in for life. Actually- the Lieutenant who’d pressed me into this, he’d said something like that, hadn’t he? I’d just kind of pushed the thought aside. ‘For life’ was just how gangs usually operated, but...maybe the Fleets weren’t just a giant gang?

  Crazy. And...I wasn’t sure if I’d even want that. To a certain extent, I liked getting into fights and if I couldn’t fight normal people anymore - didn’t that make the Fleets the best place for me? I wouldn’t say I enjoyed getting pasted and my arms broken but instead of thinking about how to avoid that kind of thing, I’d been thinking about how the hell to win.

  “Why would anyone retire from the Fleets?” Seiwuai asked. “It’s an honour to serve the clan. Everyone should be proud to be a Brineblood!”

  “Why does anyone join the Fleets in the first place?” Byron asked her, quietly. “I hate to disappoint you, Little Yuai, but not everyone joins for reasons as noble as yours. Some people just want to eat to live. Some of us are running from problems in our lives. Some people just want to hurt people, and the Fleet has enough enemies that joining up’s a good way to do it.”

  I glanced to the side at that, accidentally locking eyes with Seiwuai as she did the same, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. I turned my head forward again, looking at Boss Byron. “Why did you join? Even if your kids wanted your spot like you said, you could have just taken your cut and moved towns.”

  He inhaled. “My wife was a Seaman,” Byron said, wistfully. “She retired from the Fleet before I was born to start a family.” He chuckled. “Lucky me she had bad luck with men. Me included. Long enough that I grew up, ran into her, and convinced her to settle down.” He paused, tilting his head back to stare at nothing. “You kids know about the Tides?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Yes,” Seiwuai answered.

  “You can explain it to him,” Byron waved a hand dismissively. “But...I lost her, then. Strong woman, throwing her life away for some random folks she didn’t even know. Left me and the boys.” He shook his head. “Most surprising thing I’d seen from her, and I’ve seen her dip fish eggs in raw egg. Frankly, I don’t get it at all. But damn if I’m not trying to learn before I go.”

  I frowned, holding my thoughts back. She died for people she didn’t even know? Now there’s a dumb choice. Nobody was gonna thank her for that.

  Goddamn, was my right shoulder itchy.

  “She was brave,” Seiwuai said, quietly. “And a hero.”

  “She was a fat, grumpy old woman who farted in her sleep,” Byron replied, and I snorted. “But that’s kind of you to say.”

  We stood there for a moment in silence, the rest of them looking solemn while I resisted the urge to say something. Until, “I don’t believe you.”

  “Johannes!” Seiwuai scolded.

  “Oh?” Byron asked.

  “That you’re weak,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t believe it.”

  “You want me to prove it to you?” Byron said, amused.

  “That’s right,” I said. I reached inside me for the energy I’d discovered. A tiny glowing spot like a match flickering against a breeze; a shard of glowing, radiant power that I pulled until I had a strand of it free and loose. It’s hard to explain what it’s like to move a thing you touch with something that’s not part of your body, but I did my best to unwind it, holding it out towards Seiwuai.

  She stood beside me, looking between me and Byron as we spoke.

  “What if I just took a dive?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Then you ruin the image of a sleeping lion that you’ve built up, and have everybody else to deal with.” I said. Damn it, what was Seiwuai doing? I needed her to accept my energy and work with me. She was faster than me at building the formation, and I needed her to take the lead-

  “Ah,” Byron frowned. “...alright, you’ve got me there. You’re really committed to making trouble for me, aren’t you?” He touched the side of his nose, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Fine, then. Fellas?”

  I looked around, eyes widening as the smell in the area thickened, the odor of brine and fish becoming cloying as Byron’s goons moved closer to him and an entire ship started to surge up from the ground beneath the. That smell...that was worldly energy! That’s what I’ve been smelling! The whole pit was laced with it, we were sucking it down with every breath and getting stuffed with inner energy! It was pouring off us as we formed our formations- Helena, and my meditation! That was how-

  Oh, there’s Seiwuai, she finally caught on. “Let’s fucking gooooo!” I roared, grabbing the mast as our ship sprang up beneath the two of us, a raft a dozen paces across on each side facing down Byron’s larger but less clearly defined shadow ship.

  “Why are we doing this?” Seiwuai asked, nervously.

  I didn’t have time to respond before Byron lashed out, a flap on one side of his ship’s hull clattering open and pointing a cannon at us.