Mirror plot II.

[stuck_mynock]

When the morning comes, Atton's gone, but there are two rather ragged and thin looking pirates poking Will with their feet.

"Get up," one says (he's very shrill). "You're to report to the quartermaster, down on deck four."

Comments

[will_scarlett]

"'ow long ye been part o'the crew?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Longer than anybody else here, except the captain. Years, now."

[will_scarlett]

"Oh aye, what sort o'man is the captain?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"The crew like him, and they fear him, too. Always a good combination."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, I can see that. Do ye know what 'e's lookin' for on this next planet?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"No clue. Usually we'd be heading somewhere to drop off this load of slaves, at this point."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye."

The slavery thing is hard but sadly Will can understand it, since it wasn't too long ago that England in his time had them and some serfs might as well be slaves.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

The old pirate peers at Will, for a moment.

"It's lucrative, the slave trade. The captain might find it a bit distasteful, but he only really cares about money, and power. When I first arrived on the ship, he wasn't an entirely unkind person. But he's obsessive about power, and he's only become more so over time."

[will_scarlett]

"Gettin' it tends to do that to ye."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"I'll drink to that. It's one of the reasons why this ship has held together so long - It's big, and it's old, and scary, and it has a lot of firepower, but it's falling apart. It's ancient. It shouldn't still be flying. But the captain holds it together with the Force, because it shows people his power."

[will_scarlett]

"Oh aye, but if aught 'appens to 'im, will all fall 'part quickly."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Yep. Good way to keep the crew loyal, too - he'll happily fight anybody on the ship, and he's happy to be beaten, on the rare occasion that that happens. But if anybody kills him, we all die."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, sounds like a good man to serve under."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Shrug.

"He's good at what he does. But he doesn't particularly care about the crew."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, ye just 'elp 'im live longer."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"But once you're here, you're here for however long he contracted you for. If you escape, somehow, he hunts you down. Over time, a lot of the people here just get absorbed into his will and lose their minds."

[will_scarlett]

"Oh aye, I can see that."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Really?"

[will_scarlett]

"'e's a powerful an na quite sane man."

He's the Atton Will knows taken to one extreme.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"True, true. Well, I have repairs to make. You're probably going to get some trouble here - people trying to figure out where to put you on the hierarchy of things."

[will_scarlett]

"Oh aye, I'll 'andle it."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"I should hope so. You're not likely to find any help."

[will_scarlett]

"Figured na, but I'll survive, good at doin' that."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"Always good to hear," the old pirate says, heading away.

[will_scarlett]

Will nods and returns to his food.