THE sea currents rolled lazily, the gentle breeze brushing across the surface like a whispered breath. The water shimmered beneath the sun, smooth as polished glass.
Moments later, the bow of the *Retribution* surged forward, slicing through the serene expanse, scattering a school of herrings in its wake as the mighty ship broke the calm.
At the ship's starboard, Irene Bjorn, Marshal of the Western Hemisphere and Commander of the *Retribution*, stood tall. One leg rested casually on a raised platform, her gaze locked on the horizon. A faint smile tugged at her lips, the soft hum of the *Retribution* cutting through the water filling her with quiet satisfaction.
Unconsciously, she hummed along with the ship's rhythm, her hand brushing the cool metal of the railing. There was something deeply comforting about the ship, as if it were an extension of her will—her fortress upon the endless sea.
The Retribution was unlike most ships, and one of the few to be tagged as a Fable grade. There are very few things that were tagged as Fable grades, and for a ship; it was rather unusual. The Retribution was only the second ship to be given that rank. The other one belonged to the Admiral himself, its name was the Ferryman! Irene has never laid eyes on it, but people who have claimed it was a ghost ship and talked about how the Admiral was the only living person onboard and every other person was described as undead!
Irene's retribution on the other hand didn't have that kind of presence and most sailors never thought of it as a ship that possessed might. It appeared simple, save for the large cannon that stood at its front with a big enough muzzle to blow a medium sized ship to splinters, other than that fact, it appeared rather normal.
Irene cleared white strands of her braided hair from her gray eyes and glanced at Helios who was standing beside her in a silent stance. "You are too uptight," she shook her head. "Relax, free yourself," she chuckled. "Normally, I would have written to the council to get you a new ship and crew but I have a feeling that they would deny that request, so you have to be here."
Helios sighed, ever since he'd regained his consciousness and the apothecaries had replaced some of his affected tissues, he'd been weary of stepping out of line. Irene had sensed that, and has been trying to put him at ease but to no avail. The last time they'd met, she remembered how she treated him and although she didn't regret it, she felt she did a little too much.
"You haven't spoken a word since you boarded my ship, except from answering whatever I request. You are not a servant here and I don't know how to make you see that." She sighed. "Be honest with me, if you don't want to be on my ship, I will let you leave without any strings attached."
Helios for the first time relaxed a bit. "I want to be here, I just…" he paused. "I know the extent of my failure, and I know I should have died back there," he said and Irene could see as his eyes contorted and she knew reminiscing that hearing still brought him pain. "You saved my life and I know I am at your mercy now, and I can't ask for more or less."
Irene tilted her head backwards. "Just because you owe me your life doesn't mean you can't serve without being a dog for me," she explained. "I know my title might instill fear in you, and considering what I heard about you and how you treat your subordinates, I understand where that fear is coming from but look around, I am different and you deserve to learn from a different point of view." She explained.
Helios nodded. "I noticed that and if I can…" he stepped back, shrinking in a way, afraid of how his next words would affect Irene. "Why did you save me and why are you so…" he glanced around. "So simple?"
"I will answer your second question first. I grew up around simple people and I liked that life. It is a good way to live too, you can try it. As to why I saved you, I hate bullies," she said, although that wasn't the whole truth, it was still half the point. Even if Moirai hadn't asked her to save him, she would have when she saw what that heartless sage was doing.
He wanted to speak but they were interrupted by one of the subordinates. "Commander, we spotted the ship," he said.
"Good, flag it down!" Irene nodded and glanced at Helios. "You didn't fail though," she said. "None of us combined, the elders, the admirals, even me could go against Godblast. You survived, that alone showed the strength of your will," she smiled. "You wanted to prove yourself to me, then I have a mission for you."
She gestured for him to follow her and he did, walking behind her and glancing warily around as if he was her bodyguard. Irene noticed this but kept quiet, she needed him on his toes and being the best he could too so she didn't want him to feel too much closure.
They entered into the lower deck of the ship, and entered into a grand hall that Irene used as an office and a meeting room. The room was plastered with several golden and black clock designs. There was a long table at its center that was flanked with five chairs each with two more at its ends.
Two of Irene's closest associates, Hevah and Moirai, sat down, bickering about something that Irene didn't want to know at the moment.
"Come on," Irene gestured for Helios and he followed her.
She picked up a file from her desk. "We have been tracking a pirate ship for the past three days. They are an old group of pirates and a very powerful one at that; the Ironhands" she said, handing him the file. "They are very evasive and unlike other pirate groups they are good at evasion and stealth. Meaning we can't really confirm if that ship actually belongs to them, I mean we can but not officially and I am not one to go against the law."
"So what do you need me to do!" Helios replied with a stiffened expression.
"Simple, get on that ship, inspect it and confirm that it is really for the Ironhands so we have jurisdiction to attack them." She said.
"Why…" Helios was confused. "No one would refute your words if you said they were a pirate ship even if it isn't, why go through the stress?"
"Because it is the right thing to do!" Irene replied