As Henry reached for the door handle to exit the cabin, Noname's voice halted him, prompting him to turn around with an inquiring gaze. Noname's words were laced with a sense of urgency and vulnerability
"Henry, please, I implore you, keep my ambition confidential for now. While I value your support immensely I also need the cooperation of the rest of the crew. However I fear they might not understand my reason for this venture, and their hesitation could jeopardize our chances of success. I cannot undertake this alone; I'll surely be needing all hands on deck!"
Henry nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." With that, he stepped out of the cabin and into the biting wind which had noticeably picked up speed and ferocity. He wrapped his jacket tightly around him, bracing against the chill.
As he traversed the deck, he spotted Jack close to the wheel, his pitbull Pixie by his side, both of them bundled up in a blanket. Nearby Santiago was suspended in mid-air resting on ropes beneath the crow's nest, seemingly impervious to the cold. Henry made his way down the stairs leading to the crew's quarters. Lost in thoughts, Noname's quest echoed in his mind and he couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead. The crew's dynamics, the risks involved and the uncertainty of their mission all swirled together in a complex mix of emotions and concerns. The howling wind and creaking ship only added to the sense of foreboding. He knew that the journey ahead would be fraught with challenges, he couldn't trust in the crew's resilience and determination. As he descended into the warmth of the quarters he steeled himself for the unpredictable expeditions to come knowing that their fate hung in the balance.
*At the front and rear of the accommodation there were bulkheads that had it's doors close to the planking which made way to hallways that had two cabins on the side opposite to the planking, making it a total of four (+Santiago's) rooms in the ship;
* Henry and Louis rooms within a bulkhead.
*The kitchen (Lee's abode) and a spare room (intended for Jack) behind the other bulkhead.
Henry headed towards his room which was at the end of one of the hallway but stopped on hearing a series of noise coming from Louis' room {the room before his}, he couldn't help but barge into his nephew's room only to find the whole room in a mess. There were books scattered all over the place.
Louis stood out among his fellow crew members, not for his swashbuckling skills or battle scars, but for his unsatisfiable thirst for knowledge. While others were content with the thrill of the high seas and the spoils of their adventures, Louis's passion lay in devouring books that contained vast amounts of knowledge. His love for reading was unmatched, and his interests spanned far beyond the realm of piracy. Unlike Lee and his uncle Henry, who had spent their lives honing their fighting techniques and being involved in the dangers of the ocean, Louis had little to no experience in these areas. He didn't possess the physical prowess of Santiago and his appearance alone would never suggest that he was a pirate. In fact, Louis never had any desire to become a pirate; His heart initially belonged to the world of medicine and his dream was to one day find a cure for the illness that had taken his mother's life.
Born out of wedlock, Louis had faced a tumultuous childhood, often finding himself alone and adrift. However, his aspirations to become a medical doctor had driven him to develop an unquenchable curiosity for knowledge. As a child he had delved deep into the realms of chemical and biological study but his journey as a pirate had led him to explore the realms of physical science and mythical study.
Despite his vast knowledge, Louis faced significant challenges on board. His lack of experience and survival skills was a concern for everyone but there was a more profound issue that rendered him almost useless in the eyes of his crewmates: Louis struggled to apply his knowledge in practical situations. His honey-blonde haired head was a treasure chest of information but he lacked the ability to translate that information into action.
This disconnect between knowledge and application was a source of frustration for Louis. He longed to contribute to the crew in meaningful ways, but his inability to put his knowledge into practice made him feel like a liability. As he navigated the complexities of life on the high seas, Louis couldn't help but wonder if he would ever find a way to bridge the gap between his love of learning and the harsh realities of his surroundings.
Henry got into the room to meet a sad Louis sitting in front of a small table on which his elbow rested on allowing his hands to provide support for his head.
"What's going on here?" Henry asked in a bit of concern but Louis rather remain silent.
"Do I speak or not?" he asked again even louder in a bit of rage trying to draw Louis attention but Louis who heard him the first time answered in a rather unusual manner with sadness in his voice…
" Do you think I will ever be as good as him?"
" And who do you speak of?"
"Noname!.... Do you think I will ever be good as Captain Noname… I mean that's why you allowed him to be Captain in the first place. When my mother your sister died and you quit being captain, Noname single handedly ordered for the reconstruction of this ship and termed himself as captain afterwards and you didn't object, even when Jack became a member once again you never told Noname to hand over the mantle to Jack, it's not like Noname was better than Jack. Jack has been a member of your crew since he was a child, he became one of the best pirates on your ship before you even found Noname and he stayed with you till you quit being a captain…and… I don't know if this is true but I hear that if Jack and Noname had a weapon or hand-to-hand combat without any rules against death........ Jack would be the one to come out alive yet you let Noname continue as captain….
Tell me, isn't it because of his ability to apply the little knowledge he has and make a big impact? Didn't you allow him because unlike us who shallow the use of our human resources to solve problems he makes a good use of his and even makes use of ours too! Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do... this whole thing!….. why did I even choose knowledge which I have no use of!...…. The knowledge I couldn't use to cure my own mo…"
" Nonsense Louis! Nonsense!..." Henry shouted furiously at Louis, he never expected such words to escape the lips of his own nephew.
"This isn't coming from you!... Tell me, what brand of wine was it?
"Uncle you know I'm a light weight, I wouldn't have been this calm if I had the smallest glass of wine."
"Well, you speak clearly like a drunkard and not to talk of smell, you smell like one who drank so much that he thought a cow was his dog or even worse his own wife! This discussion is over! You can always come back and apologize when you're back to your senses." Henry move towards the door with the intention of leaving after saying this but stopped a foot away from it after taking note of the unenthusiastic silence of Louis which indicated that he hadn't made any effort in making him feel better, even as his own uncle.
Henry gave a sigh and started
" I'm sorry Louis..., but if you think that your lack of application of knowledge would have stopped your mother's death then you have been thinking wrong because someone who has a death wish once told me that there are some things that fate has arranged for us from which we cannot escape….. Sadly, your mother's death was one of them!"
Louis was a bit surprised for he had never known his uncle to be a remorseful one, the image of his uncle in his head depicted someone who stands on his own decision, never wanting to hear what others may contribute to a matter and never wanting to apologize even if his conclusions caused failures. He could nevertheless inquire of this sudden change because his uncle was at that point in time feeding his ears what it needed to hear and he wouldn't risk spoiling the mood.
" And you believe this someone's ideology about fate?" Louis asked
" Well aren't people at their realest and truest at their points of death?"
" Hmmm…death wish!..... at the point of death!.... I don't think that saying was meant for people with a death wish but if you put it that way it still kind of makes sense!"
"I thought so too...…..
... I didn't let Noname remain captain because of his ability to solve problems, yes he does have the ability to solve problems but you clearly know that that has only been made possible because of your knowledge and the crew's help through their abilities. At first I thought of asking Noname to step down for Jack but then there were two things I found in Noname that I never found in Jack or simultaneously in any other pirate.
One was ambition and the other was persistence; Every other Pirates are driven by their greed to do what they do, they go for what they WANT and sometimes they don't even know what they actually want, but Noname!... this young man goes for what he NEEDS, he knows why he accepted fate's compulsion to become a pirate even though he initially never wanted to. Jack at first was tamed as a normal civilian but later on chose the path of a true pirate and became like one. Speaking on persistence, Noname doesn't stop at nothing to get what he wants, I don't know if it's an embedded character from the jacket since it was taken from someone who had the same trait at an even amplified level but I will remind you that when I quit being Captain out of my sorrow for your mother, everyone left me including Jack, their drive faded off, they either joined another crew or went into hiding since they needed a higher authority to legally and officially denounce them a pirate but Noname stayed, he knew what he needed and seized the opportunity to be Captain – one who commands instead of being commanded meaning that he had his free will to achieve what he wants. He was the last man standing and even now he still stands, that!… is why I left him as the captain!"
" Oh so that's why?.... I…I never really imagined it from that perspective!" Louis confessed in enthusiasm with his head now raised and his face brightened up!
" What can you say!? Like uncle like son ayy!"
" I…guess!"
" And lest I forget, it's not true!"
" What?". Louis responded to his uncle's anonymous statement.
" I mean the result of a fight between Noname and Jack…. Of course Jack is the strongest on board and Noname might not win, but that doesn't mean Jack will win either! Noname's life is almost as good as wasted….. he's not going to waste his death!". Henry said with assurance clouding his voice.
"I see!".
"So tell me my boy, what else troubles you, why the litter?"
" I was just searching for something, although most of it was caused by some kind of heavy impact on the ship… Do you have any idea how Mister Lee's cleaver was able to break that chain? I mean Mister Lee is quite the eldest and I testify to the fact that his cleaver is as heavy as it looks, it's size alone is magnificent and compelling, I once tried to lift it and I almost got my foot chopped off! How is such an old man able to use such a heavy weapon to break such a hard chain? The way he ran, the way he twisted his body and the way he jumped! everything just defied physical laws!"
" Don't ponder on it son or you'll be such a mad man in such a short time with such a damaged brain. "Henry responded humorously. "...To be honest I know all blade fighting techniques but I must confess, his is totally difference – both the weapon and the combat style! Trust me when I say I've tried learning but it was all to no avail… but learning never ends you see, so we just have to learn what we can while we can."
"Right!..." Louis agree. "… I'm also confused about the weather change, it's all just mysterious; At first it was a little windy but warm and now it's getting more windy and cold! Any idea what this may be?"
"^So he noticed while he was down here! I mustn't tell him the truth or else it might end up with him finding out about Noname's plan….^". Henry thought and tried to avert any unnatural idea that may befall Louis' mind…
"whether the weather tosses a feather or not, we'll still go ahead and cast our lot!?"
" Please stop with the Pirate rhyme uncle, I'm being serious!... According to your compass I borrowed earlier, we were headed North and the wind was coming from West but after that impact we changed direction towards the West and now the wind comes from the North.
" From what I know, Northern wind comes with chills!"
"There was a fog!"
" That was probably just an intense mist in the air! The sea is filled with nothing else but water, look!" He points to a nearby window. " There are water droplets on the window!"
" But the atmosphere was warm!..."
" 'WAS' my boy, 'was'…. That was in the past…"
" But that was just a few minutes ago and you're calling it past?..."
" As long as it is foregone, it is in the past….. who knows, maybe there was an erupting volcano not too far but we couldn't see because of the mist!"
" You drew out the map uncle! You scaled out the course for us! You never mentioned anything about volcanoes! Moreover heat and light should be involved in eruptions…I feel heat but I see no light" immediately Louis said this, there was a lightning flash!
" Well thank heavens for a testimony! Did you just see that light!"
" That was a lightning flash uncle!" Louis said In frustration with his fingers above his eyelids.
" Light is light no matter the source!..."
While they were still arguing, they heard a very loud thunderclap and something instantly kicked into Louis' head.
"Wait uncle…" he said trying to get his Henry to reason with him. "….. you mentioned that Northern wind comes with speed and causes a drop in temperature!"
" Verified!" his uncle replied
"And the water droplets enveloped within this wind as we see is at an abnormally high level!"
"Correcté! But nevertheless not a fog, just an intense mist!"
" That rumbling sound was as clear to you as it was to me!"
" Volcano it is!"
" No no uncle!, that's not a volcano we both know there was a lightning flash just now and with all these signs, it is only cleared that we are headed into...."
…. Just before Louis could finish the sentence, Henry got the message and they both had their minds synced and understood that the ship was knocked off course during the impact and was now headed into
"….. a thunderstorm!"