Fathomless Fortunes [slash]

Chapter 2 - Council of war

"I guess you all wanted to know why I called you for this council on such a short notice. We do have a problem," Admiral Robard Heron declared. His sharp gaze wandered over the two women and five men at the huge, round oak table. The large assembly room had no windows and was only dimly lit by some lanterns lining the stone walls and a chandelier right obove the table. In its light, all the faces of the council members present were clearly visible.

Heron finally fixated on the man sitting opposite. "And you, Alastair, are right in the middle of it. You captured three Albian trade ships in the last month. The Empire will retaliate for sure, and we'll all have to deal with the consequences. I didn't give you my ship to start a war!"

For a second, the room stayed quiet, but then the atoll council members, leaders of the free pirate nation, started to talk all at once. Six voices, some calm, some agitated, declared six or seven different opinions on the matter. The addressee of these accusations, however, kept quiet, returning Heron's admonishing gaze with only one steady, cold eye, the other one hidden beneath a white, embroidered eye patch.

"Order on deck!" Heron finally bellowed and slapped his hand on the table, making the half-empty glasses on it shake. "Alastair, do you have to say something?"

Captain Alastair Blake leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should I? You already made up your mind - Dear ladies and sirs," he said, looking around the table. "You all captured or sank an Albian ship at least once. Often enough, it was for self-defense because they've become more aggressive by the year. I merely decided to take the fight to them. The war that our dear admiral fears so much has already begun - and the Albians did start it, not me."

For a moment, it seemed as if everyone present was about to say something again, but they kept quiet. One by one, their eyes wandered from Alastair to Heron.

"Yes, Albia is trying to expand its influence over the seven seas," Heron allowed. "This is nothing new to us. Emperor Edwin III. decided to make his little island the center of the world some decades ago, and his daughter, Empress Valory, is even worse. People shouldn't hold that much power when they're still young enough to have a need to impress everyone." That glare at Alastair was back again. "We can't change Albia's political course. But we can lay low for a while."

"Captain Blake is right," said Captain Shian Fu, her dark, slightly slanted eyes blazing combatively as usual. She was a small, slim woman in green and violet silks, but the authority in her dark, accented voice was compelling. "Sooner or later, Albia will try to eradicate us once and for all. It doesn't matter how many of their ships we sink. So I suggest we sink as many as possible to weaken them. Maybe it'll be enough for their little empress to decide we aren't worth the bother."

"And if she decides to form alliances with other nations?" Johnston Bellwether, the owner of the trade outpost, replied, stroking his beard. Next to the wiry, muscled pirate captains, he always looked downright common in Alastair's eyes with his portly figure and serious merchant's clothing. "Calez and Jeraine have big fleets as well. What happens if all of them decide to hunt us?"

"Calez is a country of merchants, and we have our arrangements with them," Captain Ruiz Realdo said, as usual the voice of reason, although his black wig and crimson coat made him look menacing. "And the five Duchies of Jeraine are far too busy fighting among each other. The only duchy with good ships is Ilron, but on their own they are almost powerless. I think all of this is a waste of time. Captain Blake, I agree with Admiral Heron. Let's leave the Albian ships in peace for a while, and everything will be back to normal in no time." A metal hook, replacing his right hand, clanked on the table for emphasis.

Heron waited for a moment, but no one else spoke up. Lissa Evans, who ran the Monkey Inn, Luckytown's biggest establishment, was a peaceful soul, so her position in those matters was always clear. She just pulled nervously at her long brown braid. She was Caeran and should be having stronger opinions on the matter of Albia's expansion.