The Adventures of the HMS Harlot

Part 4: Otto River, Boatswain

I was sitting at the table, my hands folded across the glass of long gone rum and sadly wishing it would refill itself. Roy was being a cabrón, as usual, while Witherford was defending his wonderful engine with gusto, and Victoria was stewing at her chair and Odessa...was just sitting there; she only interjected occasionally to try and keep anyone else from noticing. Shifty, on edge, nervous, pondering, dreading, fretting, culpable.

I knew what she was about to do. I knew what had put her on edge. I can't say it wasn't an expected outcome but it had dawned on me before that little miss Big Head might not have been as up front with the Captain as she might have led Victoria to believe.

It seems I had been right.

"Odessa, care to weigh in or have you lost your ability to speak?" Victoria chided as she broke her reverie, probably to get another opinion on the flight or fight debate, raging across the mahogany. Odessa's eyes went wide. My thoughts went Shit.

"I do have something to say, but not about a plan. This is about The Michael and The Gabriel ships. It is hard to say, so I am just going to say it quick." I shook my head, hoping that it might catch her eye and stop her tongue.

But of course it didn't. She kept right on squawking. For what her family was, she sure did fall far from the tree. She has this bizarre notion that honesty or complete openness is some sort of pure virtue that must be strived for at the most inconvenient of times. How irksome.

I tried to usher her from the room before she could spill more, but she of course told everyone her family tree and got booted from the room for good measure. As she reached the doors though, I imagine a pang of melodrama slipped into her brain as she shouted, "The reason I did not tell the truth was because I belong here, not with my cruel family. I deserve a real family," and then slammed the door shut with a ringing bang.

In the silence that followed, I found all eyes slowly turning towards me standing in the middle of the floor. I knew this would happen. The minute Odessa revealed her secret, there would be an inquiry into me next. "Anything you'd like to confess to, Mr. River?" Victoria asked in her frost coated leer.

"Nothing of any report."

"And nothing that I'd be infuriated to learn about after?"

"I'm clean as far as old acquaintances go."

"I'll vouch for him, Captain." Witherford nodded his head as I took a seat at the table once more. I imagine it was Witherford's approval that stopped Victoria from pressing more as she too returned to the table with a grunt. Roy's eyes never left me though, I imagine the guard dog will never be satisfied with anything unless it was what size noose to put around my neck.

"While I can't imagine her outburst will do much to impact her loyalty to the crew, it does muddy the potential outcomes should we meet the Michael." Roy stated as he paced the floor.

"It impact's her loyalty quite a bit, Pilot." Victoria chided. "She could easily turn on us if we get into a confrontation. She might even have been spying for them this whole time. Explains why the Gabriel was able to catch us off guard."

"That wasn't Odessa's doing." I ran to her defense. "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If anything, blame the boy for it. If he hadn't gone off on whatever stupid misadventure, we would never-"

"Eldon is not at fault." Roy shot back at me. Our gazes locked for a moment in silent hatred.

"Did he not attack a CE in the colony?"

"Yes."

"And did that not prompt them to sound the alarm bells, alarms that reached an ARCH class ship in the vicinity?"