The Captain's Trial (5)

Writers: Anaria
Date Posted: 2nd June 2011

Characters: Tiernan, Fievan, Hawthen, Galliet
Description: The calm before the storm.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 2, day 8 of Turn 6

Fievan had meant to clean out his bucket immediately - he really did -
but the shock of finding out that not only was his father a Sea
Captain, but his half brother was Tiernan as well distracted him from
logical actions. Instead, he went down into the small bunkroom that
the non-ranking crew shared, and searched the chest that was at the
foot of the hammock that was his.

It was damp in the crew chambers, and cramped, and the smell of it
caused his stomach to resume the flip-flopping about that it had been
doing earlier. He forced himself to ignore it, instead pulling out a
small piece of hide - a letter from his real father to his mother.

"Dearest Vanilesa,

I am sorry that I haven't been back to the Hold to see our son. I've
been reassigned from a small riverboat to a Seafaring vessel. We spend
much of our time heading to and from the Northern Continent, and as
such I do not get much leave. Hopefully, I will find a way to come see
you soon.

I truly wish that you would reconsider leaving your husband. You could
join me on my ship for a while, until I could get you setup with a
nice cothold at a Sea Hold. You wouldn't have to worry about him
beating you anymore. We could see each other once every few months
when my ship is docked. Or I could take you up North, where you could
be free to take up a craft if you chose. Perhaps even to a Weyr. You
are still young yet, you might even be able to stand for a Hatching.

It pains me to see you treated this way, it truly does.

Love Always,
Fieranan

Fievan sighed, tucking the little note at the bottom of the chest,
beneath everything else, and then locked the chest. His mother hadn't
known that Fieranan had another family - at least, if she did, she had
never told him of it.

"Batten down the Hatches!" Came Tiernan's cry from above, and it was
passed on to the other crew members. Fievan gathered his bucket,
hoping to get it cleaned out before the weather took another nasty
turn.

~*~
Hawthen looked at the break to Galliet's arm once more. He wasn't
certain what looking at it was going to achieve, as it certainly
wasn't helping matters any. "What I wouldn't give to have a Master
around right now..." he murmured under his breath. His instinct on the
matter was to just amputate and be done with it - the bones were too
far gone to ever properly knit in his professional opinion. But he'd
seen masters repair worse breaks. He was thankful that they had more
than enough fellis on board to keep Galliet out for a while.

He wasn't going to set the arm by himself. Peeking out into the
corridor, he saw an apprentice who wasn't doing anything useful.

"Hey, you. Sit down that bucket, and come help me a moment," he called out.

"But..." Fievan started.

"No buts, this man needs help before this ship starts bucking about
again. Hurry up!" Hawthen demanded.

"O....ok," Fievan said, sitting the bucket aside before the healer
could see - or smell - it's contents.

"I'm going to straighten this man's arm out. Once it's straight, I
need you to hold it in place while I try and get the bones back in
their place," Hawthen said.

Fievan felt his stomach begin to flip flop once more. He could only
hope that he'd be off this ship - and soon!

~*~

Tiernan hoped that everything was taken care of properly. The winds
had picked up again, and the ship was beginning to rock. "Oh Galliet,
my old friend, I hope you are properly drugged with fellis and taped
back together," he said to himself, as he spun the wheel about to
counter the effects of the wind. He'd been working together with
Galliet since he was a Jr. Journeyman - he was practically a second
father to him. When he became Captain, it was only logical that he'd
bring the Carpenter along with him.

They had been exceedingly lucky in the fact that nothing major on the
ship had broken and needed repair, for the rest of the crew only had a
rudimentary knowledge of ship repair. Tiernan cursed himself for not
insisting that people cross-train in other fields while things were
slow aboard the Seawing.

While the first part of the storm had been free of thunder and
lightning, that did not seem to be the case for the second half, as
the sky ripped open in a bright flash and loud **BOOM**. Tiernan
jumped a bit despite himself, then chuckled at his own fear.

~*~

"That's the best we're going to be able to do for now," Hawthen said
with a sigh. He was pretty certain that the arm would need amputating,
but wasn't about to perform the procedure while the boat was shaking
about like it was. "You can go back to whatever you were doing,
apprentice."

Fievan didn't need to be told twice. His stomach was rebelling
heavily, and he knew that he was going to vomit. He looked to find his
bucket, and saw that it was gone. With inhuman speed and grace given
the motion of the ship, he forced his way up to the main deck, and
wretched over the side, into the whirling ocean.

"Why did I ever decide to become a Seacrafter?!" he said to himself.

~*~

From the wheel, Tiernan was able to see the wave and brace for it far
better than any of the rest of his crew. Before he could say a word
the ship was tossed a good dragonlength to the port side. And as he
released the breath he'd not realized he'd been holding, he heard a
telltale **SPLASH** that he didn't like.

Not one bit.

Last updated on the June 13th 2011

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The Captain's Trial (5)