Nightsea Outlaw

Jean looked with disappointment at the setting sun as he stood on the deck of the Nighthawk, his bony arms resting on the rails as he leaned over the side. His gate was closed, and Eliza was hidden. While he could have her invisible near him, he didn't know what strange abilities people in Dry Turtle might have. It would be best to keep any shock he might cause tucked away when it wasn't necessary.

Warm, humid air clung around his bones, and every few moments, he could hear a drip inside as condensation formed and dropped another water droplet to the ground inside of him. Dry Turtle's jungle climate reminded Jean why he preferred less tropical islands.

His favorite islands were winter islands. The islands that were not as extreme as Diamond Peak but still cold most of the year were the greatest. They had the most beautiful snow on those islands and plenty of time to enjoy it as that was the dominant climate on the islands. It was the weather of warm hearths, close parties, and lots of laughter. However, this humid and hot island left those lands far behind.

Add to that, he had not eaten all day.

He couldn't believe they had forgotten to bring back food for him to eat. He might not need to eat; it might be something he did just for the sake of it, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt his feelings to be left out. He shook his head. Maybe something had happened in Dry Turtle that prevented them from comingback, but they couldn't know that until someone, anyone, returned.

Thump.

"You people have one strange ship," Gel Tob said, opening the door and stepping onto the deck. "Even with the new-style ships, it isn't like anything I've ever seen."

"We did pick it up under strange circumstances," Jean said, facing the man with a grin. "What about the repairs? How do the costs look?"

"Right now, not too bad." Gel rubbed the back of his head as he looked over the deck. "There's some tubing in the engines that looks like it's finally broken, and a few other odds and ends maintenance-wise that look like they've been left to rot for decades. It might cost you folks a good ten thousand dolers to bring everything up and running."

"Ten thousand is no light fee." Jean whistled. "But it will bring the ship up to running order. You're sure about that?"

"It will." Gel patted his chest. "You can have my guarantee on that. I don't want to see a ship like this crashing out of the nightsea."

Jean looked him over. In his orange containment suit and with his oiled-back hair, Gel Tob was the image of a mechanic very much. A few other workers stepped out, still in their full containment suits. They saluted Gel and then descended the ladder and to the ground below.

"Do you have much experience in sailing?" Jean asked. "Or do you prefer to just work on the ships?"

"I've been about a time or two," Gel said, cracking his neck as he watched another ship land in the docks. "But my place has always been with a wrench in my hand at docks. I'm good at repairs but not much else."

"We all find our own fates." Jean nodded. "I found mine with this crew. So long as it is the path you want and you make the best of it, I don't think anyone is in a position to judge."

"You've got a way with words." Gel smiled, holding out a hand. "If you want, you can come and eat with my men. I know your people left you to watch the ship without supplies. That's hardly fair."

"It isn't." Jean sighed, shaking the hand with his own bony fingers. "But I will choose to have faith in them. They may not be perfect, but I haven't found them to go back on their word so far. Something must have happened to delay them, but they will return, just as promised."

They released grips, and an unsteady silence passed between them. Jean was just happy that Gel didn't seem disgusted by his skeletal body. That was a rarity diffrerent than most islands he visited. Most people at least gave him strange looks, but Gel hardly seemed to notice, nor had the mechanic asked why Jean's body was the way it was.

"Well, when they do get here, give them this," Gel said, handing over a long piece of paper with several numbers on it.

Jean looked it over and realized it was a list of parts with prices beside them and numbers laid out for labor and other things. A tax was listed along with a transport fee at the bottom. All in all, it looked like any receipt that he might see from a business.

"An itemized list of all parts, fees, and services to be rendered," Gel said. "Once they have the payment ready, we can get to work. We service four yards in total, so you can be here for a bit before we have to kick you out if you can't pay."

"Have no worries about payment." Jean nodded, folding the paper and tucking it inside his robes. "My friends will fulfill the cost."

"Then you have a good night, my friend," Gel said as he walked to the edge of the deck and climbed down. "I hope your friends don't keep you waiting."

"Neither do I," Jean said as he leaned on the railing again.

He waited for about another hour as storm clouds began to roll in over the horizon. A strong wind blew at the hot, humid air, allowing Jean to cool down as the warm air was blown to the side by sudden gusts of chilling wind. A storm was coming to Dry Turtle. Lightning flashed across the sky in the distance, and Jean counted the seconds.

Crack-Boom.

Five seconds. In the distance, he could spot the shadows of approaching shuttles. People returning for the day were brought in as fast as possible, and the cabbies would not desire any more trips once the storm hit. Jean hoped that everyone would be returning on this round of shuttles.

If not, he would regret not taking Gel up on the offer.

"You chose your path, and you chose to put your faith in them," Jean said. "So you must accept that. Have some trust, and wait."

As he said the words, he saw people running toward the ships. Above them, like a coming wave, droplets of rain fell to the ground. Though they were all shadows, he spotted two figures rushing toward the ship, their hands above their heads as they ran.

"Let us hope for the best." Jean sighed, already knowing something had gone wrong.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Rain fell onto the deck as the two figures climbed up to the top. Alex and Wen were already soaked, and Jean didn't stop for pleasantries as he ushered them inside and out of the falling rain. Once they were in, he pushed the door closed, leaving them to listen to the muted sound of rain crashing against the metal hull.

Water dripped from both of them as they stood in the ship. They were like wet cats pulled out of the storm. Wen's breathing came in short gasps, but Alex seemed unaffected by their run for the ship.

"We barely beat that storm," Alex said, shaking water out of his sleeves as he smiled at Wen.

"At least the supplies should be fine," Wen said. "We sent back Sayed and Erin hours ago."

"They have yet to return," Jean said, crossing his arms as he looked to the door. "I thought maybe you all had forgotten about me."

Alex's eyes went wide, and Wen frowned. Jean grimaced. So, something had indeed gone wrong between the town and the ship. They didn't know where three of their crewmembers were, and they were in the middle of a storm. Jean shook his head. This day couldn't get much worse.

He didn't mention the implication that he hadn't eaten yet. Something had clearly gone wrong with the plan, and Jean wasn't a selfish person. No, he would remember this disappointment the next time he was asked to wait on the ship without a meal. He would know to make his own arrangements next time.

"At least you saw Kali away?" Jean asked.

"We did," Alex said. "I just don't know what could have happened to Sayed and Erin."

"They had Mari with them, too," Wen said, pursing her lips.

"Well, I trust they are strong enough to not worry too much," Jean said, reaching into his robes and pulling out the paper. "These are the estimates for the repairs."

"Thanks." Alex took the sheet from him and read it over before handing it to Wen.

"Look's standard," Wen said. "We can afford the repairs easy enough now."

"That still leaves Sayed and Erin," Alex said. "I can go and try and find them, but with the storm, it'll be hell to get to the city again."

"Where could they even have gone?" Jean asked. "You said you sent them back hours ago."

"Yeah, we told them to get supplies for the ship and bring back food to you," Alex said. "I just don't know—"

Crack-boom.

Thunder shook through the hull as lightning struck close by. The hull could only muffle so much of the sound, and then the rain's patter returned in the thunder's echo. Jean looked at the door. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he heard someone walking around on the deck.

Thud.

A heavy weight fell against the door, and Jean turned to face it. A second heavy thud hit the door as Jean narrowed his eyes. Alex clenched his hands into a fist, and Wen's hand went to the revolver on her belt. Whatever came through that door would face all three of them together.

Creak. Tap. Tap. Tap. Thud.

The door creaked open, and a large man fell face-first onto the floor, a wooden block in his hands kept precariously from touching the ground. Sayed had returned, and he now lay on the ground, steam hissing from his skin as he held the box up to the group. Behind him, Mari stepped over Sayed, looking between the three of them with her glowing blue eyes.

"Alex," she said. "Erin's gone."

"Mari," Alex said, breathing a sigh of relief. "What do you mean? What happened to Erin?"

Jean knelt next to Sayed as they talked, putting one bony finger to Sayed's neck to feel his pulse. It was there, beating strong through his heated skin. Sayed had just collapsed from exhaustion. He would be fine once he had time to rest.

"A promise kept," Sayed whispered, holding up the box.

Jean picked it up and opened it. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but smile. Inside the box, kept perfectly warm by the power of Sayed's curse, was a small meal of a steak with vegetables and bread. Jean closed the box to keep in the heat as Sayed's arms fell to the deck.

"A man took Erin," Mari said to Alex. "He ran away with her after knocking her out."

"Who?" Alex asked.

"The man from this morning," Mari said. "One of the men on the shuttle."

"Slavers," Alex whispered, standing up and furrowing his eyebrows as he kept his eyes locked on Mari.

"That complicates things," Wen said, frowning. "We can't just report it to the Port Authority and expect it to be solved."

"You said that when we came here," Jean said. "Are they really so complicit in the slave trade?"

"There's a lot of money involved." Wen shrugged. "Money buys ignorance."

"Let's get Sayed to a bed and meet up in the mess hall," Alex said, kneeling next to Sayed and lifting him with one shoulder. "We need to think this through and come up with a plan. We won't get anywhere if we just keep standing here."

Jean came in on the other side of Sayed's shoulder and helped Alex carry him to his room. When they were done, they met with Wen and Mari in the mess hall. It wasn't long before Alex had a plan, as Jean had come to expect from the man.