Of Men and Spiders

Captain Bastian's day started out pretty good, but maybe that should have been the hint that things would only head downhill. They'd found a shuttle, apparently dead, just floating in the void. It wasn't an unheard-of occurrence in these parts. Someone fleeing a pirate boarding party takes off in an underused and poorly maintained shuttle, only to die when life support systems fail. It usually meant a free payday. Not that such a find would make anyone rich, but it probably meant a couple days of good drinks and entertainment at the very least. The problem was, everyone who'd gone onboard to see what exactly they'd found had mysteriously gone silent.

Drumming his fingers on his console, Bastian decided it might be best to cut his losses. "Contact the hanger crew. I wanna space this hunk of junk before it costs us any more time or people. No use throwing good money after bad."

His first mate and communications tech, two jobs that had recently been merged into one after another set of complications, nodded. "Aye, Captain."

Bastian sighed. This ship had run into one bout of bad luck after another. Maybe it was time to sell it off and retire. Not that this pile of bolts would make him rich, but it might be enough to buy a nice enough place on some rim world where he could just disappear. His musings were interrupted by the first mate speaking again. "Uh, Captain? The hanger crew isn't responding, either..."

That made Bastian sit up straight. His men weren't the most structured at the best of times, but that sounded like a bigger problem than simple discipline issues. He decided not to take any risks. "Open the bay doors now! Vent it all!"

The first mate hesitated. "But Captain, if the rest of the cargo is unsecured, that could..."

Captain Bastian cut him off. "I don't care! Vent it all now! I want that thing off my ship before whatever is happening spreads any further!"

That was when the door to the bridge opened, revealing a rather impressive figure of a woman with striking red hair. She might have been a little past her prime, but she still cut quite the figure with a cocky grin while wielding two pistols, one aimed at the first mate, who was half out of his chair, the other pointed into the air, ready for another target to present itself.

After a moment to allow the impression to set in, the lady in question addressed the crew. "Welcome to my coming out of retirement party! I'm Lucy, Captain Lucy to you, though you may know me better by my old moniker, 'Lucy the Red.' This ship and everyone who desires to continue serving onboard is now mine. Anyone who disagrees may leave via the nearest exit or raise their concerns with my first mate, Lady Charlotte!"

With that, she stepped to the side, and a monstrosity resembling a nightmare hybrid between a giant spider and a praying mantis walked onto the bridge. It had two long, wicked-looking claws currently dripping blood.

Lucy resumed her speech though very few eyes were on her. "The good news is Lady Charlotte is considerably more patient than I. The bad news is, if you exceed that patience, she'll eat you. However, so long as everyone does as they are told and no one tries anything stupid, we'll get along just fine. More importantly, you all stand to walk away from this far more rich than you are now. I was always known for being generous to those who served me well, and I intend to build upon that reputation. Are there any questions?"

The old first mate slowly sat back down, and Lucy the Red holstered one of her guns, though she kept the other ready, just in case, as she approached Captain Bastian. She nodded in acknowledgment as she addressed the man. "Sir, I believe you are in my seat."

With a sigh, Bastian stood up and stepped to the side without a fight, wondering if, without the ship, he had enough to retire in some shack in a hole-in-the-wall pirate outpost.

Lucy nodded again as she took her seat. "Charlotte, make a note, give the old Captain a double share. I reward people who can act with discernment instead of pride."

The monstrosity, who'd been cleaning her claws by consuming the blood, stopped and nodded before speaking in fluent basic. "Very well. Will there be anything else, Captain Lucy?"

The whole bridge was frozen, uncertain of what to think upon the revelation that this monstrosity was evidently intelligent. Seemingly unaware, or more likely, intentionally putting on a pre-arranged show, Lucy nodded. "Yes, I believe we will need to perform a basic assessment of the crew. Have everyone meet me in the mess hall, please."

The monstrosity nodded before turning its attention to the old first mate. "Please relay the Captain's orders to the crew. Make sure no one tries to circumvent the command. I have eyes everywhere and will know if someone is hiding."

After a moment of hesitation, the old first mate stood and bowed, something he'd never done for his old Captain. "Aye sir...mam...um...sir!" He then quickly scurried off the bridge to do as he was told.

Everyone left was staring at the spider monster, except Ex-Captain Bastian, who examined his new commanding officer with interest. He didn't know where she'd been or just what she had in mind, but if she was truly Lucy the Red, this was likely only the first ship in what would quickly become a fleet, and it would need a new captain once again once she left it to run things from a...more impressive flagship. Maybe it wasn't time for him to retire just yet...

-

Scott stopped what he was doing to make sure he heard correctly. "She asked for what?"

Charlotte, who'd been giving him a rundown of Alice's latest interaction with the prisoner, repeated herself. "She asked for fruit and yeast. Should we deny her request?"

Scott thought about it for a moment. "She probably wants to make alcohol... It can be flammable, but onboard a ship like this, that would just be a way for her to commit suicide, so it's more likely she just wants it for recreation... though if it's done wrong, she could accidentally make methanol, which is highly toxic if drunk..."

Charlotte seemed to not like that. "So then we should deny her request."

After another moment, Scott shook his head. "No, so long as we keep a close eye on her and don't let her go too far with things, it should be a harmless enough way for her to pass a bit of time. Honestly, it's probably better than letting her sit and plot all day."

Charlotte seemed to stop and think. "Is it true, then, that alcohol can be used to stabilize emotional distress?"

Scott laughed. "Now that's a loaded question!" Then, he stopped and thought about it momentarily to provide an actual answer. "Well, yes and no. It's used more recreationally than therapeutically. In some situations, it can be helpful, though, most of the time, there are better ways to deal with problems than getting drunk. However, people who are unable to access those methods have used alcohol since before recorded history to self-medicate, and there's a reason it's been used for so long. I suppose, in controlled doses, it can help, but it is very easy to abuse or get addicted to, in which case it can be more of a hindrance than a help."

Charlotte was quiet for an uncommonly long time before responding. "Very well. Should I deliver the supplies while she sleeps?"

Scott shook his head again. "No. I'll bring them to her. That way, I can tell her not to let things get too out of hand. Besides, it'll be good to let her know she can't speak with Alice behind my back without me knowing. That should keep her from involving Alice in anything concerning when she thinks I'm not listening."

Charlotte nodded. "As you say."