Les Gremlins: First Cruise
Chapter I
Whip cracks Quarante!
"Go to the galley you lazy écureuil!" shouted the mean Oiseau First Nate, Jourdan.
Leo whimpers after his ordeal. He got 40 lashes for sleeping at his post and this would certainly be the last time his squirrel ass ever did that again. He and the other boys, called "Les Gremlins" by the Oiseaux for their misbehaviour, never expected that being sailors would be this tough. He sat down at the table with his mates, Lucius, Scipio, Theo, and Aurelius to enjoy his dinner.
"How was it?" asked Theo with a wiley grin.
"Pain, misery, and terror." said Leo with a smile back "Ah... boys but this is so bloody hard..."
"Aye, Leo." said Lucius with his classic deadpan expression "Shit's rough."
"I really fucking hate this shit, getting tired of it." whined Aurelius
"Lazy bums and crybabys." said Scipio smugly "Imagine if the girls back home heard about how we couldn't bare a little hardship in our lives." He leans puts his hands behind his head as his comrades look at him unamussed, realizing they don't give a damn about the girls back home before he loses his shit eating grin and says "Well... if nothing else we will be different men when we get through this, right?"
"Sure Skip, we will be different" says Leo while downing some rum "Covered in scars and dying of the heat."
All of them had been flogged several times, their backs told that story and poor Aurelius had it the worse. His temper had got him dropped from the yardarm thrice one day into the voyage and had his shoulders dislocated. He had barely healed from that, but he had done little to endear himself since then, getting flogged twice more. They didn't expect it to be this hard when they signed up willing a month ago. Now they were in the open ocean, seasick and exhausted.
The boys sat in silence as the man they all feared came down. It was the captain himself, dress emmaculately as ever. They all rose up and saluted him out of fear, but he silently waved them off and took a seat at the head of their table. They couldn't bear to look out of him out of fear as he lit up his pipe, and took a smoke.
"Gremlins... Do you know why I have come to sit with you today?" asked the captain, none of the boys replied, frankly they didn't care if they suffered again if this sadist had his way.
"Non? Very well as I expect... at least you have made yourselves capable of respecting your senior officers now.... But we are approaching Port-la-Nouvelle... A foreign port within Deuxlunesia...." This is followed by awkward silence for 30 seconds as the Tupai have nothing to say, but that is not good enough for Captain de Boucé. He slams his fist on the table "You fools! Do you understand what this means?"
Leo speaks up "Uhhh, that we should be on best behaviour correct."
The Captain smiles at Leo "Thank you Leo, yes it does mean that... However, tis not the reason I came to you boys and you boys alone..." he takes a smoke as they all look at him "You see lads, these foreigners... Moonmen are not as kindly as us Oiseaux towards you Tupai at all... Indeed, they have a low opinion of your race and as your other comrades know and have accepted, own slaves of your people..."
Theo starts to burn with rage on this revelation, his family was taken as slaves by the Ghazis many years ago, Scipio puts his arm around him to calm him down as the Captain surveys the boys before continuing "I hope that the discipline we have beat into you aboard the Ambuscade will prepare you for this... It's not part of your mission, actually, rather we are just stopping for some rest..." they all look at him with eyes filled with blankness or rage in the case of Theo. "Rest assurded, this was not part of the plan, but it is what it is indeed.... And I am going to give you some words of advice since you are my gremlins after all..." he takes another smoke "First, do not fraternize with the local women if you value your life. Your mission isn't about fucking the local women and getting hung by the local men is it now? Non! It is to make you lads into the best damn sailors. And trust me, they will not be so kind to you if you dare.... Second, you will come under all kinds of verbal abuse that you have never experience before... and potentially physical abuse. I cannot protect you from the former, but should the latter happen... I will not tolerate it from the Moonmen anymore than I would from you! Third... Do not go too far from the ship for your own sake... for these reasons I have mentioned..."
He takes a long smoke and looks them over again before finishing "Listen to me when I say that I did not have all of these things you see as abuses thrown onto you for my own pleasure. It was the same pain we all suffered, and I personally share the same scars as you do!" He shows off his scars from his own floggings, much to the shock of the boys "Shocking, isn't it? That some posh Oiseaux would have been beaten like you peasants? Well, class is meaningless aboard these ships and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.... Do you have any questions for me before I take my leave?"
Hesistation is in the air before the outspoken Scipio speaks up "Captain! How would you grade our first cruise thus far!"
Bluntly, he replies "An F! You are my Gremlins for a reason! The worst lot of the gang of all the Tupai! Never before have I ever had to exercise corporal punishment so often... hahhahaha... Yes, but I think that you have grown a lot as well kids... By the time we are done here and back in Port-des-Barques, I do think you will be my shining stars! ahahahaha."
They all smile a bit, knowing their captain has faith in them.
"But, you must remember my Gremlins the lessons taught by your blood and remember them good!" he turns to Theo, who is still fuming and puts his hand on his shoulder looking down at him "Theo, my son... I understand fully your circumstances and you have my full support should any of those bastards ever insult your own circumstances, or if they ever go too far. These Moonmen do not know any better however! They did not enslave your people, but merely purchased them!"
Theo starts tearing up. "H-how am I supposed to r-reconcile that!"
"You aren't, Theo." says the Captain sternly "Our world is cruel, harsh and evil! But never repay them for their wickedness with violence of any sort! Let the Divines judge them for their evil, and you shall be honoured. These words are meaningless yes, but your Kaisar came from awful circumstances as well and now he stands as the ruler of the greatest state your people ever have known! Prove these Moonmen, who think you are mere savages, wrong by your conduct in their lands! Do it for your family, Theo! Wherever they are, they would be awful proud of you right now!"
Theo nods his head while tears are streaming from his face and the Captain pats him on the head saying "It's ok my son." before turning to the others and remarking "Do me proud boys! Do your Kaiser proud! Do Risu proud!" They all salute him and he walks off. The boys have little more to say to each other right now, it is quite the shocking moment for the Captain to speak to them as such but they take his warning to heart as the ship slips into Port-la-Nouvelle that night.
Their real test of strength had begun....