" - Mean to bother you, Captain, but we think we found a shipwreck. Want us to go check it out?"
He blinked himself awake with more than a little difficulty, pressing his palms roughly against his eyes to ward off the sunlight. It had been another unsuccessful treasure hunt north and east of the Valuan continent - not that he wasn't used to chasing legends that didn't pay off - but a surprisingly rough storm had forced them to start heading back to Nasrad. Now they weren't far from their destination and the damned storm had blown itself out, giving way to their first glimpse of sunshine in four days. He took another moment to digest what his vice captain had said, then answered "Why not? It'll be the most exciting thing that's happened to us in a week."
His vice captain just laughed and headed back up to the bridge, where arrangements to take a lifeboat down to investigate the wreckage ensued. Seeing no reason yet sufficient enough to completely end his nap, he collapsed back onto the overstuffed couch and closed his eyes.
Gilder wasn't a lazy fellow; he just considered it tiresome work, hunting treasure and not finding it. He was already formulating just how he would spend his first night back in Nasrad - he fully intended to drink himself stupid, start a riotous barfight (and win, of course), and have a little fun with whatever pretty face he could find. Such was the life of Gilder, Blue Rogue captain of the magnificent ship Claudia.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs and Vash, his able vice captain, drinking partner and fellow notorious womanizer, burst back into view. "Gilder, we picked up a couple of guys; they're a little banged up and they're both out cold, but they should be okay."
"Take 'em below and see that they're comfortable and medically attended, and wake me when they're up and about. And if you wake me again for anything else - " Gilder fingered one of the brilliant Nasrean magnums holstered on his belt " - I'll shoot you."
Vash barked out a good-natured laugh. "Aye aye that! You lazy bastard."
Then he had dashed back upstairs, while a bullet wedged in the banister where his hand had been. Gilder chuckled to himself and dozed off again.
An hour passed, then two, then Lawrence at last stirred and sat up. He was sitting on the edge of a slightly hard mattress in a cozy cabin that he did not recognize; his weapons were braced against the wall near the door, and Centime's revolver lay on a bedside table. Crossing the room he looked out the tiny porthold to find sunlight streaming from a pristine blue sky, and in the distance a stretch of desert spiraled out before the ship. They were near Nasr. Turning back he shook Centime none-too-gently, calling the engineer's name with urgency in his voice, and when Centime had awoken he placed a finger firmly to his lips.
"Where are we?" murmured Centime, sitting up.
"I don't know," answered the mercenary in the same hushed tones, "but if we were in custody of the Armada we'd be in the Grand Fortress by now."
Quite suddenly the cabin door opened, and Lawrence sprang at once to his feet; a small, slender pirate was standing there with cropped black hair, a windbeaten face, and a green tunic over dark brown breeches. He gave them each a once-over, then deciding that Lawrence seemed the more obvious threat he asked "Armada?"
The mercenary scoffed in clear disgust.
"Black Pirate?"
Lawrence answered with a snort.
The green-clad pirate nodded, grinning widely, and took a step forward with his hand oustretched. "Vash. We found your lifeboat crashed on Crescent Isle on our way home from the islands north and picked you up. From the look of the wreckage I'd say you two are lucky to be alive." He shook hands with the helmsman and finished "If you're Blue Rogues, you're definitely in good hands."
"We're more Blue Rogue than anything else, I suppose." Lawrence indicated Centime, who had risen to his feet and moved to shake Vash's hand. "This is Centime, and I'm Lawrence."
"Well, Centime and Lawrence, my orders are to take you to the captain when you're feeling up to it." Vash gestured to their weapons, and when the pair were equipped he led them upstairs, across the bridge, and back downstairs into Gilder's private chambers. "Oi, Gilder!"
The pirate sitting asleep on the couch started and stood up quickly, smoothing his brown hair and straightening his half-moon spectacles. He had a face that was both roguishly handsome and deceptively intelligent, with dark eyes that sparkled with mischief; he wore traveling boots with black breeches and a long, almost floorlength, red trenchcoat adorned with gold buttons and an amulet shaped like a skull. A pair of high-quality magnums of Nasrean make were belted to his hips. "Well, you're awake? It's good to see you two up and about! I see you've met my vice captain Vash; I'm Gilder, and this is the Claudia."
Lawrence and Centime introduced themselves and thanked Gilder for saving them; Gilder waved their thanks away negligently with a sheepish grin. "It's no big deal, really... and not to cut to the chase too rudely, but I'd like to know just what happened to the two of you." He finished by offering them seats and glasses of red loqua from a decanter, which Lawrence accepted and Centime politely declined. Clearing his throat, Lawrence offered Gilder a full account of all their exploits in Pyrynn and Rixis, ending in the obliteration of the Ironclad by Ramirez and how they had been separated from Domingo and Ilchymis.
Gilder listened raptly, puffing a cigar all the while, and when Lawrence had finished he extinguished it and took a swig of the potent red alcohol.
"Sounds like the kind of adventure I'd enjoy," he told them with a chuckle. "My crew and I are no strangers to danger - I think I'm gonna like sailing with you two." Gilder stood suddenly and started pacing, hands deeply in his pockets, and asked, "So where are you boys headed?"
The two pirates exchanged a glance, and after a moment's hesitation Lawrence answered, "Ilchymis is the one who knows all the history of the Crystals, and Domingo has a spyglass fitted with a rare silver MoonStone that shows him things the naked eye can't see; that's how he found the Temple of Pyrynn, and the gates leading to Rixis. It's impossible for us to continue this without them... I think we should find them first."
Gilder nodded, then asked delicately, "You think they survived the crash, then?"
"We did," said Centime, without missing a beat. "I think they did too. And we owe it to them to find them."
"Fair enough." Gilder turned back to the staircase, where Vash had been standing wordlessly the whole time. "Continue our course to Nasrad; we'll restock our supplies, give everybody a chance to sleep a night on solid ground, and start looking for their two friends."
For the first time, Vash seemed put out. "But Gilder... what about the treasure? We've been looking for weeks?"
Gilder winked. "It'll be there when we find their friends, and we'll take it then. And who knows? Maybe if we're lucky, we'll find it on the way."
"Aye aye that!" Vash saluted Gilder and sprinted upstairs to relay his captain's orders, and Gilder turned back to Lawrence and Centime.
"What do you think? Does that sound like a plan?"
Centime blinked. "You'd really do that for us?"
Gilder settled back against the overstuffed couch cushions with a little sigh of contentment, reaching for his glass of loqua. "The way I see it, Valua has been trying to take more than they're entitled to for a long time, and it needs to stop. I'm not usually one to choose sides, but something's really wrong with this world nowadays and I don't like it. If you guys need help looking for your friends - and the Crystals - you've got a good solid group of pirates at your back."
Lawrence was truly touched, a rarity. "Thank you, Captain."
Gilder crinkled his nose. "Okay, sure, but none of that 'Captain' stuff. You'll call me Gilder and that's that. Tonight we party in Nasrad! Trust me, boys - the crew of the Claudia will show you a good time!"
For one of the first times in his life, Lawrence had nothing to say.
: Treasure, anyone? Rejoice! It's here! The sequel to "Disposable Heroes"! As a side-note... if any of you are familiar with my Star Fox series "Footsteps Across Lylat", my most beloved OC is about to get a cameo. Hope you love him just as dearly as I do!
Desert Lynx: Decided to split it up into several fics - so far it'll probably be a four-part series.
Derek Barona: Yeah, you gotta love Fatality and her nasty cliffhangers. XD
Syek: Yaoi makes the world go round. Glad you approve. Hope you like the sequel just as much.
Sparkling Moon Phoenix: Again, thanks so much for the heartfelt and in-depth review. It all meant a lot to me. Hope you catch up soon!
Meowzy-chan: Wrong on both counts on where they'll end up! Alfonso is still in Valua, and in a few chapters you'll see him plotting, as only Alfonso can.
