No Good Men: Volume One

Chapter V: Tortured Captives

Out at Sea, West of Askarai

Charred clouds loom over the choppy waves behind the fleet of transport ships.

At the helm of a ship on the left side of the fleet, Sergeant Jarro stands with a bowl of yellow stew in his hands as he overlooks some men working on the shrouds. Jarro raises the brown bowl up to his lips and takes a sip of the steaming liquid.

A trap door up ahead opens up from the floor, and a large group of prisoners walk out onto the deck. Around them, soldiers stand in a large rectangle to allow them ample room. The prisoners slowly spread out, and within seconds a young woman laughs into the sky.

She holds her arms up, and faces her palms out towards the sun. The rest of the prisoners become more relaxed as they stretch their arms and legs. The shackles around their ankles are nowhere to be found, but bruises and cuts lie in their absence.

One of the prisoners yells in distress and calls out to the sergeant.

Jarro scoffs, "Goddammit. There's always one.", and places his bowl onto a barrel before marching down the helm.

The man, no older than thirty, repeatedly waves his hand overboard and angrily yells at a soldier.

"I did everything I needed too and wasn't given what was promised! The sergeant will understand...here he comes!"

The soldier moves aside and allows Sergeant Jarro to step in front of the prisoner.

"What's all this commotion?", asks Jarro.

"Apologies for my tone sergeant, but your word has been broken by these soldiers!", says the man.

"My men are loyal and obey my every command. Any problem that lies with them, lies with me as well."

"Respectfully, sir- sergeant, your faith in your men is misplaced. Under their noses, one of my rights has been violated!"

Sergeant Jarro gazes directly into the man's eyes, "What's your name, prisoner?"

"It's Edward, sir.", says the man.

"Well then, Edward. Could you please tell me what rights were violated aboard my ship?"

"I-I emptied the chamber pots last night. I collected all of them and dumped everything into the sea. One of you men was watching me the entire time, but afterwards I was escorted back without my extra ration."

Sergeant Jarro straightens his back and addresses his soldiers, "You hear that men? It's imperative that you all keep better tabs on who deserves rations and when These prisoners are to be rewarded upon completion of their tasks immediately! Is that clear?"

"Aye sir!", the soldiers yell.

He whispers in the ear of one of the men, and smiles at Edward before walking back towards the helm.

"W-what about my ration?", asks Edward.

Jarro pauses and spins around before addressing the prisoner.

"You'll get it after your punishment."

Edward's eyes widen and his voice stutters, "M-my what?"

"Any prisoner displaying disruptive, disrespectful, or reluctant behavior will result in a punishment or the loss of eating privileges for the rest of the day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Edward...you were being disruptive earlier now weren't you?"

Edward quietly dips his head down and stares at the floor. Sergeant Jarro chuckles as he grabs some rope off the railing and hands it to a soldier. The soldier then unwinds the rope as men subdue the prisoner. They then begin to tie his legs together all the way up to his knees.