To Hell and Back (Hellworlder pirates)

Ch29 A Meeting of the Pirates

A Meeting of the Pirates

There was a stunned silence as they all stared at Astarte.

Her mother cleared her throat "we're aware, that's why we're here. What we don't know is who, when, where, or why" she said bluntly. Lucile was tall for a human women tall like her daughter, only a few centimeters taller than Astarte. But that was where any resemblance between the two ended, her mother had the fair skin and hair of her Norwegian ancestors, with the only traditional difference being her hazel eyes. Compared to Astarte's distinctive up turned black eyes, pale olive skin, and long black hair it was easier to assume they weren't related at all. Her mother wore a patterned kimono of wolves and thorns with gray wolf pelt thrown over top. Aster had once wondered if the Lycanoids thought the simulated pelt to be offensive, but for some strange reason they took pride in the honor wearing wolf pelts supposedly brought. They saw it more like wearing a wig, or a weave, than the skinned hide of their brothers. Or at least a simulation of that.

Her face could have been considered angelic or kind if it weren't for the ten years she spent in prison. Those years had hardened any soft edges her face once had. The pale lines of scars crisscrossing her cheeks proudly displayed the sheer amount of beatings she had taken, the scars on her knuckles told of how often she dealt back those beatings. Her nose was broken in two places from when Aster had beaten her face in on Parox. Her eyes were razor sharp and raked over everyone and everything with the same wolfish glint that hinted at the woman's rabid and wild nature.

There was a soft chuckle from the woman on Lucile's right "No need to be so blunt" Captain Bell calmly berated; her voice crisply accented with Victorian English. "Besides, I do believe we need to brief Captain Astarte here about our mission in the Caladon war. There are some rather important things she needs to know." Bell, once named Elizabeth, wore black robes that tried their best to imitate the black surcoats of proper royal navy officers. The naval historian turned pirate captain had been Aster's closest friend while she studied naval history back on Mars. When she had met the woman she was leading the growing trend of Victorian revivalist fashion, and had actually chosen to wear a corsets in her everyday life.

She was much shorter than Aster or her mother, at 163 cm she was practically dwarfed in appearance by her fellow captains. Whatever she lacked in stature she made up for in attitude and bearing, dominating any room she walked into with her poise and posture. Every step denoting control and command. She had been born to be far more than just a professor of history, and had struggled to reign in her alluring aura despite her mundane profession. Despite her love for of old-world warships she couldn't help but feel trapped by the placid nature of her life. When she had pieced together who Astarte was, and what she was doing, Bell had spent the vast sum of her inheritance on creating the Beelzebub and had demanded to join the fleet.

Her mother waved off Bell's suggestion "I've already informed her of everything she needs to know"

Aster scowled at her mother "Shits bad need to do something to indicate that this is a quote , is nowhere near enough information to explain what the hell happened."

Bell gave her mother an exasperated look "Is that really all you sent her?"

"No-"

"It might as well be" Aster interjected, cutting off her mother "All I got was 'shits bad, we're coming back'"

"At least I was to the point" her mother objected "I asked how the fleet was doing, and you sent me a fuckin novels worth of information. There were eight pages devoted to the price of corn in Balter, followed by how well corn was selling on Kaydo"