Another day.
The deep cold sea contrasted with warm blue sky as the sun rose over the horizon. Bastion climbed the rigging as a gentle breeze swept through his hair and cream white blouse. Grinning from ear to ear he let go of the ropes with one hand and reached out to greet the breeze. Very few cargo ships had come by. No leads to anything valuable had surfaced in recent weeks. Things were slow. This excursion on the rigging was exactly what he needed. Out here, he could loose himself without the pressures of his every day life. It was times like these when Bastion was able to take a step back and realize just how stressed out he really was, though he'd never admit it out loud. "Hey, what are you doin' up there?" A loud voice called breaking him out of his thoughts. Looking down to the deck below Bastion regarded the source of the voice. It was Jack, one of Bastion's best friends and the captain's first mate. His friend had a bemused expression, and the pirate could tell that Jack did not like seeing him
So high up and unsupported. Jack's blonde hair blew back in the breeze as he held one hand up like a visor so he could block out the rising sun as he regarded his friend.
"Nothing Jack! Just getting some fresh air, mate!" He replied cheerfully, before turning back to enjoy the sunrise.
"Yeah well, get down here. Captain wants to see us." Jack informed him matter of factly. Bastion sighed. He loved his crew but sometimes they could be a real pain.
"Alright. You go ahead, tell him I'm coming."
Jack hesitated, then shrugged and began walking back across the deck, his bare feet just visible underneath his slops. Bastion shook his head in dismay once he was out of view. Aiming to be true to his word, Bastion began making his way down. Grabbing a rope, the young man carefully yet hastily began climbing, not stopping until his boots touched the wooden boards that comprised the deck.
No one dared to keep the captain waiting, not even Bastion- even though he was his only son. Taking the stairs and heading below deck, the 20 year old couldn't help but wonder why his father was summoning him. Did they have a ship to ravage? Did his father find word of burried treasure he wanted them to loot? Were they going to raid a village? There was no way to be completely sure. Being a pirate was exciting, yet Bastion couldn't help but feel that he wanted more for his life, though he didn't dream of telling his father that. There was no way that would ever go well. No one got out of being a pirate once they had signed up. Unluckily, Bastion the son of a pirate captain, had been signed aboard since day one. It wasn't a good feeling. More than once, he had considered stealing a life boat in the middle of the night and leaving everything behind, but in his heart Bastion knew he couldn't do it. Where would he go? How would his father feel let alone the crew. Every single hand on that ship was family to him and he would never hurt them in that way.
Putting those complicated feelings aside, Bastion pushed the door open to the captain's quarters and stepped inside. The captain as well as much of the crew was waiting for him. All were seated around a grand round table. His father was pouring over some old documents while the crew mates waited for further instruction. "You called for me, captain?" The lad asked as he gingerly took a stool and sat on it cross legged so that he faced his father turned boss.
"Finally here, are you?" The imposing man asked not even looking up from his paper. Bastion cringed internally. The rest of the crew had to resist the urge to laugh at the slightly humorous situation the captain's so had found himself in. Bastion knew his father loved him more than anything, yet it was more than apparent just how little he thought of Bastion as a pirate. Pirating had never been Bastion's passion, and the diasapointment from his captain made him wonder why the older man had kept him on.
Recomposing himself, Bastion pulled up a seat and looked at his captain pointedly "I came as soon as I was able, sir." The twenty- year-old assured earnestly.
"Not quite quickly enough, I'm afraid." The older gentleman said with a hint of a smile that he quickly tried to hide and if Bastion didn't know to look for it, he'd have missed it. "I'm going to have to re-explain the objective so you won't be lost." Despite the slight dig, Bastion was grateful for the courtesy.
"My apologies captain."
The captain ignored the apology and got down to the brass tax "My first mate and I have come upon some old documented riches that I want us to look into. If we're successful, we shall not want for anything ever again."
Bastion who was counting down the seconds until he could leave, was now deeply enthralled in the conversation. A treasure so great they wouldn't have to loot anymore? It was more than Bastion could dream, but could such wealth even exist? If so he would finally be free. He could leave the ship and his unwanted role as a pirate. His father would have no cause to stop him. He pondered this and as his eyes glazed over the captain became slightly irritated.
"Focus, boy." He chided, snapping his fingers to get the youth's attention. Bastion's face went red and he bowed his head a bit in apology as his father went on. "The treasure we seek is nestled deep in the Middle East and we've already set a course, so I expect you to be ready to go ashore first thing tomorrow morning. It's a long trek through many villages and we'll have to take great pains to blend in. All of you be ready " The captain said looking at Bastion, knowing of his son's tendency to occasionally sleep in.
"Just so you know what we're looking for I'll tell you a bit about the treasure." He told the group pointedly, finally taking his eyes off of him " What we seek may not seem glamorous but do not be fooled- if we're successful we will be rewarded a million times over in ways you could scarcely imagine." Small cheers and rough clasping of shoulders erupted around the table, so much so that the captain had to tell them to pipe down before it would stop. "Now is not the time to celebrate. We have quite the task ahead of us, with only a thin likelihood of finding the trove. I don't want any of you to get your hopes up too high. Be optimistic, but cautious too." The captain shoved his paper aside and made sure to look at every single pirate in the room. "Don't let me down." The group sat in uncomfortable silence for a long time until someone was finally brave enough to speak.
"If I may sir, what does this treasure look like?" A young, scrawny looking cabin boy asked from a cramped corner in the back.
"I'm glad you asked," beamed Bastion's father warmly as he turned to face the child. "It's a small and rather unremarkable looking lamp." The captain explained "At first glance no one would know how valuable it is, so to our credit, we will not have to worry about anyone else looking for it."
"But then how is it so important?" The child asked, seemingly unintimidated by the imposing man just feet away.
The man chuckled " You'll understand once we have it in our possession." He told the young boy kindly, in a way that reminded Bastion of the way his father had spoken to him when he was that age. "Some things are not all that they appear." Wide- eyed the child nodded, but still looked confused, though he said nothing. Turning back to the rest of the crew,
"All of you go back to your tasks. I want to speak to my son, privately." At once, the small group of men and women rose from their chairs and began calmly exiting, so that it was just Bastion and his father.
"I need you to focus, child." The captain scolded lightly once he was assured that the two were alone. Bastion shrank slightly under his father's withering gaze, and he couldn't help but notice how worn out and exhausted his father looked, adding to the already mounting guilt. "I would like to think that my speech would have been enough to inspire you, but with the way you got lost in thought I'm not so sure."
"I will give it my all sir, I promise." Bastion promised gently, a genuine air lacing his tone causing the captain to smile weakly.
"I'm sorry I forced you into this life my boy," Bastion's father looked to be on the verge of tears, making the son want to comfort him, but the older man continued speaking " I knew thos wasn't who you wanted to be and I ignored that. You could have been anything, but I made you choose this life and I can't apologize enough." Bastion's heart broke at those words.
"It's okay dad. I'll make you proud." The young man forced a smile as he willed himself to stand up out of his chair and walk out of the room. Shutting the door behind him, Bastion let out a shaky breath. Tomorrow morning, his actions could make or break this heist. If they were successful everything would be better, but if they failed morale would be so much worse. Furthermore, Bastion questioned how such one simple oil lamp could be so valuable. It just made no sense. Was it rare? Covered in precious gems? Normally it would take a whole throne room full of loot to change lives in the way the captain was describing, yet he trusted his father's judgment more than anything, yet seeing how much pressure he was under, could he have made a mistake? Collecting himself, Bastion walked away from the door, up the stairs and back to the mast above so he could have some space to think.
Daylight was well on its way, a pink glow framing the horizon. It was a sign of a good day, but Bastion couldn't bring himself to believe it. Seagulls screamed in the sky ahead and the youth wished with all his heary that he could morph into one of them and leavd all the pressure behind. The young man burried his head in his hands.
How on earth were they going to pull this off?