Seas of the Red Star

by Andrew Gates

  “How many of the crew sleep in here?” Ellen wondered.

  “Usually no more than two or three at a time, though with you two taking up residence, that number will rise.” The captain motioned to some cots in the corner. “It might not look like much, but I hear the crew don’t mind sleeping down here. It’s darker here and you don’t feel the rocking of the ship as much on the lower deck.”

  “It will do just fine,” Ellen said. “Thank you.”

  “It had better do fine, because it’s this or nothing. I’m afraid you don’t get much of a choice.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. So… any questions?”

  Ellen had lots of questions, too many to organize in her head. But she knew that wasn’t what the captain was asking. He wanted to know if they had any questions about the ship.

  “No. I don’t have any questions. Thank you for the tour, Captain,” Ellen responded.

  “Good. Now that we’re done with the tour, time we be headin’ back up to my office.” He stared at Ellen intensely. “That’s where the real questions will begin.”

  ***

  The captain’s office was just like Ellen expected. Like everything here, the enlarged room looked like it had been taken right out of some 18th Century ship. It was stuffed full of books and treasures, hanging from the ceiling, thrown into the corners and crammed into narrow shelves along the walls. The rickety wooden table taking up the bulk of the captain’s office was covered in so many maps, charts, and half-finished bottles of liquor that Ellen could hardly even see its surface.

  Captain Azzorro sat on the bow side of the table. A couple of windows behind the captain’s head filled the room with enough light to see, along with two lit candles that stood atop the table. Ellen and Dave sat on the opposite side of the table, facing him. Their chairs were clearly built for someone of Azzorro’s height. Ellen’s feet did not even touch the ground.

  “Comfortable?” the captain asked.

  “Yes, thank you,” Ellen replied, noting that even here in the comfort of his private office, the captain’s hand was still close to his firearm.

  “Sorry if the chairs be a bit large.”

  “It’s not a problem, really,” Ellen assured him.

  “Good, good,” Azzorro said, slowly nodding. He paused for a moment, then squinted his eyes and leaned forward, curiously. “So, now that we’re alone, tell me: where are you really from and what are you doing here?”

  Dave turned to face Ellen and stared at her with wide eyes, as if to say, “you take this one.”

  Ellen indulged him.

  “What we told you before was the truth. I know it all may sound strange, but the thing you call the Silver Pearl is no holy rock. To us, it’s a ship. But instead of traveling across the seas, this ship travels between stars.”

  “It does sound strange, that be the truth,” the captain agreed, nodding. “A bit too strange. The Silver Pearl has been a holy relic for generations. Sailors pass by it for good luck. You can imagine my surprise to find it with you two standing on top of it.”

  “I know it looks like we may have done something wrong by standing on it, but we didn’t. I can assure you of that,” Ellen said. “You said it yourself: the Pearl floats. Rocks don’t float. So obviously it mustn’t be a rock.”

  “True, rocks don’t float, but then again, the Pearl was never just an ordinary rock. It has been graced by the Red God.”

  “The Red God?” Ellen repeated.

  “He who brings light to the world. He who made the sun in his image,” Azzorro replied, motioning to the windows at his back. His eyes darted back and forth between Ellen and Dave as he took in their curious expressions. “Hmm,” he said, leaning backward. “You two really don’t know these things?”

  “We don’t,” Ellen replied.

  “Hmm… well if you don’t come from Taspansa, then where do you come from?”

  “Our world is called Mateo.”

  “And what is it like?”

  “Dryer than this. We have oceans, but our planet isn’t covered entirely in water like yours. There are long stretches of land called continents where humans have settled and built vast cities. The region I live in is full of cornfields that go on and on.”

  “Stretches of naught but fields?”

  “That’s right.”

  “This be a lot to learn. Let me make sure I understand correctly. You say the Silver Pearl is a boat that travels from world to world?”

  “You can think about it like that, yes.”

  “And the Governor, does he know about this world you come from?”

  “The Governor. I don’t know the Governor. You’ve mentioned him a few times now. Who is he?”

  “You don’t know the Governor?” the captain asked in a tone of surprise.

  Ellen simply shook her head.

  “The Governor is a powerful man, a man of magic. He rules Taspansa and claims dominion over the seas.”

  “I see,” Ellen replied.

  “The Governor, the Red God, the Silver Pearl. Everyone in Taspansa knows of these things. But… from the look on your faces, ye’ be serious. You strangers don’t know what I’m talking about when I say these words.”

  “It’s as I said, Captain, we aren’t from Taspansa.”

  “So it would seem,” he replied, nodding again. He leaned forward once more. “Very interesting. It be hard to believe I’m saying this, but I find myself starting to believe your story.”

  “It’s not story, sir. It’s the truth.”

  “If so, your presence here may be some kind of sign, maybe a gift from the Red God. That you would travel across the stars and end up here of all places… it be too much to be coincidence.”

  Ellen did not respond. She did not know enough about the religion of this place to offer any remark. The last thing she wanted to do was offend their host.

  “Aye, you two came at a strange time,” the captain continued. “Weather like this does not linger long above Taspansa. The Red God often curses us with storms.”

  “So it rains a lot here?” Dave finally jumped in. He may not have been comfortable talking about important things, but clearly he was fine asking about the weather.

  “It does,” the captain replied. “Almost non-stop. Dry days like these are a gift, perhaps a sign of the good fortune you two will bring to our crew.”

  “Let us hope so,” Ellen retorted.

  “I can only imagine the dry world you claim to come from. It sounds so fantastical,” the captain responded, “like something from a child’s tale.”

  “It’s no tale, Captain. We both come from such a world,” the woman said. “I’m also beginning to think, so does your Governor.”

  “The Governor?” Captain Azzorra sounded genuinely shocked. “You believe he comes from… how do you say? Marco?”

  “Mateo,” Dave said.

  “Yes, Mateo.”

  “I do,” Ellen responded, “let me explain. You said the Governor is a similar height to us, right?”

  “Yes. It be true.”

  “Well, Captain, the reason people are so tall on this planet is because of the gravity. The gravity on this world is not as powerful as it is on the world we came from.”

  “Gravity? What is this word?” the captain asked.

  “It’s…” Ellen paused. She had never needed to explain what gravity was to somebody. She didn’t even know where to start. Eventually she shook her head and said, “Don’t worry about it. The important part is that people on this planet are so tall because they’ve evolved to live on this world through generations. If the Governor is like us, it might be because he didn’t grow up here either.”

  “I am finding this hard to follow. Be ye’ suggesting the Governor is from another world?”

  “I can’t say for certain. I’ve never met him,” Ellen replied.

  “But is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “It is, yes.”

  A strange expression began to grow
across the captain’s face. His look of curiosity washed away and grew into one of pure shock. He quickly stood up from his chair and pointed to her, aggressively.

  “What you say is blasphemy! I may not like the Governor, but he has been here for as long as our people can remember. You speak of things you do not understand!”

  Shit. Why did that set him off? Ellen wondered.

  You introduced a lot stuff at once, stuff that’s way beyond him. You’ve been telling him things that change his entire view of the world. Put yourself in his shoes, Ellen. He’s incredibly overwhelmed with information. At some point, it was going to be too much, Yuri explained.

  “Get out of my office!” Azzorro shouted.

  Ellen and Dave quickly stood up and moved to the exit. The meeting was clearly over.

  “Are we still part of the crew?” Dave asked, trembling as he opened the door.

  “I will need some time to think on what we have discussed. In the meantime, our arraignment has not changed. You two will serve on my crew until I figure out what to do with you.”

  “Thank you, Captain Azz-”

  Before Ellen could even finish her sentence, the door slammed in her face.

  Strangers of the Pearl

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 01.23.5673

  Location: The Red God’s Gleam, Taspansa, The Governor’s Dominion

  Cheers erupted on deck as the new crew members were welcomed aboard the boat. Russell tried to get an unobstructed view of the diminutive strangers as they casually looked around the Red God’s Gleam. There was something about way they looked, the way the held themselves, even the way they spoke. They were just so… strange. Russell had never seen anyone like them before.

  Russell wondered if the captain was just as curious about them as he was. Perhaps that was why he was so quick to invite them aboard his ship. After all, the captain was not normally one to trust strangers, especially with the ocean so full of the Governor’s spies.

  “Come,” the captain said to the strangers as the cheers died down, “follow me. We have much to talk about.”

  The strangers nodded and followed Captain Azzorro below the deck and out of sight. Once away, the remaining crew was left alone. They stood in confusion for several moments, wondering what to think of the oddness they had just witnessed.

  “Alright, alright, I know you’re all excited, but we have a ship to sail!” hollered Quartermaster Briggs, pulling their minds away from their thoughts. The balding man limped across the deck, waving his hands around. “No more standing still! Let’s get back to it!”

  Russell was in no mood to upset the quartermaster. He promptly returned to work. As a lowly cabin boy, he was not trusted with any of the grand decision making that happened below deck, though he often longed to be part of such meetings.

  “Russell,” a voice called out. He turned to face the speaker, Master Gunner Thomas. The man, like him, was of a younger sort, though he had seen considerably more years than Russell had. His long black hair was tied in a bun behind his head.

  “Yes, what is it?” the boy replied.

  “Fetch me the ship’s manifest.”

  “Sir?” This was a strange request. It was not often that the gunner would ask to see such documentation.

  “That is an order, cabin boy.”

  Russell gulped nervously and nodded his head. He did not know what had gotten into him to question such orders.

  “Yes, of course,” he simply replied as he walked off.

  The boy turned immediately and made his way to the stairs leading below deck. He did not get very far before Aiden joined alongside him. The older man hobbled as he walked, but kept pace well.

  “Not now, Aiden, I have to fetch something for the gunner,” he said, trying to dismiss him without sounding rude. Russell felt a strong kinship with this man. After all, Aiden was the one who first encouraged Russell to join Azzorra’s crew only a few months earlier.

  “I heard,” the older man replied in his raspy voice. “Thomas wants to see the manifest.”

  “So you know. Any idea why?” Russell asked as they descended the stairs into the cabin. He made sure to quiet down as he passed the captain’s quarters. He did not want to disturb the captain’s meeting with the strangers.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Aiden leaned in close and kept his voice down as they passed the captain’s room and made their way to the cargo hold. Candle light lit up way along the walls, casting shadows this way and that. “Thomas doesn’t trust these strangers. He’s checking the manifest to see what they could be after.”

  “He thinks them thieves?” Russell wondered.

  “Don’t you?”

  Russell shrugged. He did not know what to make of this curious duo, but he did not think them thieves.

  “Listen to me.” Aiden stopped in the center of the cargo hold. Russell stopped with him. “I know you are young, but do not be naive. Something is wrong with these strangers. Their story is folly. They say they came from the Silver Pearl. Surely you cannot believe this tale!”

  “Maybe what they say is true. Such magic is known to exist. Maybe they are sorcerers like the Governor.”

  “They confessed otherwise.”

  “Perhaps that was the lie,” Russell proposed, “or they do not know their own abilities.”

  “Do you trust them?” Aiden asked. There was a tone of surprise in his voice.

  Russell paused for a moment as he thought about the answer to that question. In reality, he was not quite sure, but he supposed he did not distrust them.

  “Time will tell,” he eventually answered. “It is not my job to question.”

  Aiden patted the boy on the back and slowly bobbed his head. He let out a deep breath.

  “Well… I suppose I cannot argue with that. You certainly know your place here.”

  “The other crew members seem excited about the strangers. They erupted in cheer only moments ago.”

  “I cannot speak for the rest of the crew. I know only what I know,” Aiden replied. He peered around the cargo hold, suspiciously. “For now, keep your wits about you.”

  “I will, sir,” Russell replied.

  With those words, Aiden turned and walked away, leaving Russell alone in the dark room.

  “I wonder what has him so on edge,” the boy said to himself once he was confident there was no one else was around.

  He made his way to a chest on the starboard side of the ship and opened it. The wooden box was full of various books and papers that Russell could not read. Though he could not decipher the written words, he knew what the manifest looked like and quickly searched through the books until he found the correct one.

  Russell promptly closed the chest and made his way back to the staircase. As he walked past the captain’s quarters, he could hear dialog coming from inside. The boy stopped. Nobody else was around. Taking advantage of the situation, he quietly pressed his ear to the wooden door.

  “Aye, you two came at a strange time. Weather like this does not linger long above Taspansa. The Red God often curses us with storms.” Russell recognized this speaker right away as Captain Azzorra. His voice was unmistakable.

  “So it rains a lot here?” This voice belonged to the strange male, the one with light hair.

  “It does,” the captain replied. “Almost non-stop. Dry days like these are a gift, perhaps a sign of the good fortune you two will bring to our crew.”

  “Let us hope so.” This was the female speaking now. Russell could hardly believe there was a female aboard their ship. She was the first woman he had seen in months.

  “I can only imagine the dry world you claim to come from. It sounds so fantastical,” the captain responded, “like something from a child’s tale.”

  “It’s no tale, Captain. We both come from such a world,” the woman said. “I’m also beginning to think, so does your Governor.”

  “The Governor?” Captain Azzorra sounded shocked. “You believe he comes from… how do you say? Marco?
”

  “Mateo,” the male clarified.

  “Yes, Mateo.”

  “I do,” the woman continued, “let me explain…”

  Before the boy could hear anymore words, a hand grabbed ahold of his arm. He peered up in shock to find Master Gunner Thomas looming above him. The man glared back at the boy with a look of anger across his face.

  “What do we have here? Snooping about?” the gunner asked, keeping his voice down. “Get back to the deck!” The gunner shoved Russell up the staircase. The boy practically tripped as he made his way up.

  Once the two of them were back on the deck, there was no more need to stay quiet. Master Gunner Thomas slapped him across the face, causing Russell to shriek.

  “We don’t snoop on the captain!” he said as he pulled his hand back for another strike. “You should know better!”

  “I do, I do! I’m sorry!” Russell replied, holding his arms still in the air. He hoped he would not get hit again.

  The gunner slowly lowered his hand and let out a deep sigh. It seemed he did not want to hit the boy again either.

  “Aiden trusts you, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you’d like aboard this boat.”

  “Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” Russell said. “I won’t do it again.”

  “You’d better not. Now give me that manifest and get back to work.”

  The boy handed the book over to the gunner and ran off to find something productive to do. He did not want to get into any more trouble.

  All the while, he could not help but remember the last words he’d heard from the mysterious visitors. Could the Governor have really been from another world? If this claim proved true, it could change everything.

  A Shortened Meeting

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 01.23.5673

  Location: The Red God’s Gleam, Taspansa, The Governor’s Dominion

  “You just had to tell him that the Governor is one of us! Why did you think that would work?” Dave asked, pointing his finger at Ellen in frustration.