War and Ruin

Immortal Voyager

"Wake up, boy!" A loud and rough voice rips through Evie's subconscious. "Yer late again!" The gruff man with a large red beard flipped the hammock Evie was sleeping on over and caused her to slam onto the deck.

"Oy! What's the big idea,  ya thick goat-head?!" Evie yells in response. "I swabbed the decks and cleaned the galley!" Evie stood toe to toe with the six foot red-bearded Irish merchant. "If the cap'n ain't complainin', then you needn't either!" Evie glared into his eyes, careful to not break eye contact.

"Wot yer sayin' is right pissin' me off you pup!" The red-bearded man grabbed the top of Evie's shirt and yanked her upwards and reared his right arm back, ready to strike Evie with a mean right hook.

Before he could land fist to face, a loud clear Irish voice stopped the punch. "Mr. Toole, kindly explain why you are preparing to wallop my cabin boy."

Mr. Toole put Evie down harshly, "He was mouthin' off he was! Tellin me I can' give him orders!"

"Evan is right." The captain's stride exuded confidence in each step, knowing no one would challenge his word. "Evan is a cabin boy on my ship, need I remind you!" The captain grabbed Mr. Toole's arm and dragged him to a stool and yanked him to the seat. "I give him orders. He reports to me. You report to First Mate Collins. Have I made myself perfectly clear?" Mr. Toole hung his head low and refused to make eye contact with the captain, to which Captain O'Riley did not appreciate. He used the grip of his pistol and slid it under Mr. Toole's chin and forced his head to rise and make eye contact, "Am I clear, Toole?"

"Aye, sir." Toole responded reluctantly.

"Evan, meet me in my quarters." Captain O'Riley simply walked upstairs as if noting had happened. Evie followed him to his quarters. The two entered and the captain shuts the door. "So," he begins with a heavy sigh, "you think I can't tell when a woman is on board my ship?"

Evie froze, wide eyes staring back at the captain. Fear trickled down her spine. "I didn't think you'd let me serve if you knew my sex, sir."

The captain waved the comment off as if it were nothing. "Oh please, this is the 20th century, not the 1600's." O'Riley sat down behind his massive mahogany desk with maps spread across the surface. "I'm not opposed to having women serving on my ship."

"Well, sir, you'd be the first." Evie said plainly with a awkward smile and shrug of the shoulders.  "Women are still barred from many careers and opportunities."

Captain O'Riley smiled, "Well, not by me."  He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out an intricately cut glass bottle with a dark brown liquid inside sloshing around. "You like brandy?" He asked as he poured only a small amount into two small glasses also intricately carved and cut.

"I don't know what that is, sir." Evie stated plainly. He handed her a glass and rose his glass then drained the liquid from the glass down his throat. Evie stared for a moment then copied Captain O'Riley and downed the whole amount. Immediately she began coughing and her voice was very hoarse as the liquid burned going down her throat. "What the hell is brandy?" She coughed as she tried to get the words out.

Captain O'Riley laughed a hardy chuckle and poured more brandy into his glass. "Not to your tastes, lass?"

Evie pondered the liquid more after her coughs ceased. "I wouldn't say that." Evie circled the glass and stared at the bottom of her now empty cup. "It was just new to me, sir."

The two of them laughed. "Now, what is your actual name?"

Evie hesitated for a moment. "My name is Evangeline. Evangeline Grant. But I usually just go by Evie." She smiled and outstretched her empty glass, hoping for a refill.