Prologue
A box washed up on shore. Water-tight. The smell of pine. A proudly engraved jolly roger. Perhaps treasure?
A worn grey cloth, broken shell piece, dented pocket watch, shiny coin and pressed flower. Souvenirs and useless trinkets. The humble collection of a no-name pirate. Last of all, a leather bound book. Pages yellowed from age and voyages untold.
When the word pirate is brought to mind, what do you think of?
Perhaps you would relate the word to the scurvy ridden, immoral, pillaging scoundrels of the tides. You know. Complete with peg-legs, hooks for hands and an insatiable appetite for gold, rum and the kind.
Or perhaps you're the type standing on the opposite of the thought spectrum. Not surprising in this Great Age. In your mind, pirates would be something akin to great, seafaring warriors, at their freest when braving the vast oceans to quench their thirst for adventure. The epitome of freedom from the laws that bind mere civilians like you.
Criminal or Legend. There really is no in-between is there?
Well neither are wrong.
Neither are correct either.
I myself, have always enjoyed a good bottle of rum, and like most pirates, I do admit to being consumed by wanderlust at times. Hook hand and peg leg? Let's just say I have yet to earn those. Not very keen on it though. Never seen the romance in having a limb taken from me.
Or really having anything taken from me. To be honest I prefer doing the taking. But that's just pirates aye?
Pardon me, I seem to have forgotten my manners. I believe an introduction is in order. My name is probably a nice place to start. Then again, you would have seen my name on the cover of this journal. Was that what made you start snooping?
You can call me Husky. Heard of me? I suppose not. I not exactly a brave seafaring warrior after all.
And no, before you can ask, it isn't my real name. No it's not something I started calling myself, come on you can't be that daft. Nicknames aren't something you give yourself, and mine's no exception. I was assigned it by my crewmates since day one and before I knew it, it had stuck. Today it's more a part of my identity than my birth name ever was.
What? You were expecting a grand tale worthy of campfires and rainy days? Believe it or not, I do have a few up my sleeve. Not grand as much as they are amusing.
All in good time as they say.
Now where was I? Ah yes. I'm no brave seafaring warrior, far from it. But don't get me wrong, I'm a pirate through and through, And in my crew I was the best at what I did.
I was Janitor of the Heart Pirates.
Interested now? Well I guess I could share a few stories. Don't worry, my nickname will only be a small part of it.
Oh? I should tell you my real name?
Nice try, World Government scum.
