The Voyager's Aide

Story I

Chapter 9: A sailor's life for me?

Jeffrey leaned back in his chair. He'd told Captain Bogg everything he knew about the Voyagers and gave some examples of how he and Phineas helped fix history. He enthusiastically shared adventures that Jeremiah would've known, Spartacus, Cleopatra, and Isaac Newton and his theory on gravity. Jeremiah was a captive audience. As the sun settled, jolly music and laughter wafted to them from above deck.

"That's all there is, Captain Bogg. I completed this mission and sent Jack Temple back to the Voyager Tribunal, but now...I don't know where to look for Bogg. I'm hoping he can track me down soon. He usually does."

"So my boy Phineas vanishes forever without a word or an explanation from the gods that took him." Anger flitted over the Captain's face.

"I know, that's cruel, sir. I don't understand why either. What makes you think Phineas died?"

The Captain's countenance fell and his jaw quivered as he clarified what happened to his son.

"A giant storm fell upon us. He'd manned the topsails that day. That morning he awoke feverish. I wanted him to remain in his bunk and rest, but the boy never could sit still! He craved adventure, lived for excitement from one moment to the next. He was such a handful to his mother Sonora and I, but a lovable child all the same."

"When the tempest hit, the topsails had to be released and he climbed up before I could stop him, as quick as a monkey. He was so theatrical. As soon as he cut the last sail, I saw him slip and fall. I noticed his dizziness and I called for him to turn back, but he didn't hear me against the winds! Or he chose to ignore me to get the job done. The ocean had claimed another life. I prayed he'd somehow survived, Phineas was an expert swimmer and diver, I made sure of it, but the sea makes no distinctions. In these days Jeffrey, a sick man is as good as a dead one. It took every ounce of strength my sailors had to stop me from diving after him in the midst of the storm."

Captain Bogg slammed the table and Jeffrey jumped. "Why hasn't he come back if he has the means? He's able to travel through time! Does he hate me for…for letting him drown?"

The Captain's eyes welled up as he looked at his painting. He stood tall and stretched

"Forgive me, son. My anger's not directed at you. I'm to blame. I should have insisted Phineas stay in bed, even if I had to tie him to the post! I should have tried harder…I should have dove in."

Jeffrey's heart went out to the Captain. Phineas' parents thought they lost their son to tragedy.

"You shouldn't blame yourself. That's the way Phineas is…he doesn't let anything stop him when he has work to do. I wish I knew why, Captain Bogg, I don't think he even remembers he has a family. He never talked about them. All he tells me is that he was once a pirate. I'm sorry. I think… I think it has to do with the Voyager Code."

"Jeffrey, you have honest eyes. I'm inclined to believe all you've said. Your guardian sounds like the Phineas I'd lost. My boy was quite the randy rogue at times but he had a big heart like his mother, and a firm sense of justice and honor, two defining traits of a great man."

"You mean like you are, Captain Bogg?" Jeffrey offered the compliment with a smile.

The Captain wanly smilec and patted his back.

"I can only hope to do my best. You seem like a fine companion for my son, your presence must've taught him a true sense of responsibility. He was always about fun and games, but when the going got tough…"

"The tough got going. That's a famous expression in my day." Jeffrey added.

"Hmm, It has a quaint ring to it…I like it!"

After Jeffrey changed into his clothes, he followed the Captain on deck. The sunset blazed pink and purple hues and cool ocean breezes swept from the North. Jeffrey stayed close to the Captain and observed. Many of the sailors looked like those he'd seen in movies. Some wore long hair, beards, tattoos and had scars, but they were cleaner and more fashionably dressed.

"Why don't you explore your surroundings? No harm will come to you here, I promise. I run a tight ship and my sailors are noble and forthright. I have some business to attend to."

The Captain had taken the news of Phineas' survival reasonably well, but Jeffrey saw he'd held back strong emotion. Jeffrey gazed upward at the first twinkling of starlight. He wondered if any of them were actually Planet Voyager.

'The second star to the right and straight on till morningwait, that's Never Never landPlanet Voyager isthe second star to the….left…and straight on till evening.' He joked to himself. 'And Drake's Captain Hook, Phineas is Peter, Kayla would make a cool Wendy and I guess I'll be John.'

He'd never seen a sky so pure. He thought about why Phineas wouldn't have returned to his family.

Jeffrey remembered when they were nearly separated at the trial. Phineas told Jeffrey that once he returned to his own time zone, he'd have no memory of him or being a Voyager. It dawned on Jeffrey that the Voyager Tribunal might've played with Phineas' memories too.

Jeffrey felt a surge of anger. It was selfish of them. A huge chunk of Phineas' life was lost and he didn't realize it. How many other Voyagers suffered the same. If his parents hadn't died and the Voyagers still took him, he'd want to go back and see them. Would they alter his memories one day?

He watched the sailors hard at work. The ship was kept meticulously clean and in first-rate condition. His gaze traveled to the topmast and he cringed. Anyone who'd fallen would've been a goner. A friendly voice broke his thoughts.

"Hey boy! Is everything all right? How are ya feeling?"

A tanned, strapping man about Phineas' age mopped the upper deck. He had the friendliest face of the bunch, with dark curly hair, a pert mouth and warm brown eyes. His voice bore traces of an Italian accent. Jeffrey went sat on the steps. He leaned against a post.

"I'm doing better; I feel fine now, thanks to the Captain."

"That was some feat ya did, boy! I thought for sure that man woulda captured ya. Ya have courage. Hey… I know the Captain saw it, but that man…he disappeared! I don't know, maybe the sun played tricks on me."

"I…I think it was the sunlight…Hey, thanks for helping me too. You were the sailor in the boat right?" Jeffrey remembered.

"Yup, my name's Vinchenzo Carvallo, what's yours?"

"Jeffrey Jones."

"So, how'd ya come to stowaway on our ship?" Vinchenzo asked, resting next to him.

"It's a long story."

"I have time, I'm not going anywhere… unless it's overboard to feed the sharks." He joked.

Jeffrey had many questions to ask about Phineas' past life. "So, are you guys really pirates? I mean, I don't see the skull and cross bones, and the Captain, well, he's way too sophisticated to be one."

Vinchenzo scratched his temple and rubbed the sweat from his neck with a handkerchief.

"Captain Bogg and our crew aren't pirates, we're Bounty Hunters. Sometimes we masquerade as Pirates and sometimes we take passengers and cargo. Our official business is 'Privateer."

"Wow! I've heard of Privateers! How does it work?"

Vinchenzo leaped up excited. "We track down the real pirating thieves and retrieve stolen booty. The critics think we're pirates in refined clothing, but I feel it's a reputable occupation! Kings, Queens, and royalty commission us to attack enemy ships. Sometimes we play the role of pirates. We have fearsome flags and props and ammunition stored away. We don't always do our work by sea. There's times we stop them dead right in the port. There's been some rogues over the years, corrupted sorts, so the Privateer vocation is frowned upon."

"That stinks! It sounds way cool…I mean…fascinating. Where are you going now?"

"We just returned a priceless Jade chest that belonged to a Maharajah of India! We're on our way back home to England. If the weather holds up and we stay course we'll be home in two days or less. Then we have a long retreat. I'll be glad for that, one of the ladies from Maharajah's court is joining me in England; we are to be wed! We didn't want to risk bringing her on this journey though."

"Wow! That's neat. Congratulations. Did you ever fight real pirates?"

"Hell yeah! We've fought and we won many battles!" Vinchenzo jumped up and pretended to sword fight.

"All right! So how long were you a Privateer?"

"I've been with the Voyager crew since I was fifteen, about twelve years now. My parents immigrated to England from Italy when I was a little child. I was orphaned at ten and made friends with the Captain's son."

Jeffrey wished he could share his story. He was also orphaned at ten years-old and not long after Phineas befriended him too. Vinchenzo's countenance saddened. He picked up his bucket and dumped dirty water over the side. "I need to get supper ready, come with me to the pantry."

Jeffrey followed him below deck to a large area with cabinets and a wrought iron stove.

"Cook started baking the hard tack and meat, it shouldn't be too long now."

"Vinchenzo, what's Phineas like? The Captain has a family painting in his quarters and told me about the accident, I feel bad for him."

Jeffrey was glad he didn't slip up; he wasn't sure how far he could trust Vinchenzo yet. He couldn't tell anyone but the Captain that he knew Phineas was alive and well, or so he hoped.

"Phineas Bogg was my best friend. We had a lot of fun in our youth. He was full of energy and a real daredevil. He used to make bets to everyone that he could dive off of skull cavern, the highest in the village…and he did it, over and over! He made so much money until his father found out and made him pay back every penny. And whatever he couldn't pay, he worked off."

Jeffrey laughed; Phineas loved a good gamble and dare.

"We always got in trouble! Phineas was irresistibly charming and that's why he got away with so much. All the ladies loved him, which irked his mother. She protected him from the 'Old ninny vultures'. Mind you, a bunch of these wenches were more than half his age! And Sonora also detested the 'young harlots' that tried to steal his 'honor.' You never wanted to cross Mrs. Bogg when she defended her family's reputation. If she only knew what a rapscallion her son really was. But it was all in fun. Phineas never hurt anyone intentionally. He was a protector."

Jeffrey's laughter filled the lower quarters as Vinchenzo shared more stories. It truly sounded like the Phineas he knew. Vinchenzo stirred the food pot and doused the flames.

"Phineas helped me overcome the pain by being there when I needed him. He tried to keep things on a lighter note. He was the one who got me work on this ship. I've been here ever since; I'm like one of the family. I've never met people quite like the Boggs. His mother Sonora's a genuine treasure. A real beautiful woman, soft golden hair, and those crystal eyes like Phineas; only hers are the palest green. She has so much grace and dignity."

"Is she still alive?"

"Yes, but when Phineas died, a piece of her died with him, and the Captain too. He was always a serious man, but he knew how to keep his family happy and he loves them more than anything. I often wonder how Jeremiah could leave Sonora alone for months at a time."

"I once had the gall to ask. He laughed and told me Sonora was a stubborn woman. She'd understood the sea-faring life when she married him, and…ahem…their reunions were much sweeter than one can imagine. I suppose you wouldn't understand that yet, would you Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey blushed and shrugged. "I get it, I was born somehow you know."

Vinchenzo's jovial laughter rang out. He stirred the food pot one last time. "Absolutely! Absolutely!"

"Jeremiah feels responsible for his son's death, sometimes I see him stare at that topmast with such pain. We talk often and I try to keep his mind on the good and funny things about Phineas, or we don't discuss him at all. I wish he were here now, although… we might've fought over this Indian woman, she's beauty! Ha una bella faccia…"

"A beautiful face…that's what you said, isn't it?"

Vinchenzo snapped out of his reverie. "Sì, l'italiano?"

"Un po' …my mother was Italian all the way, my father was mixed…that's why I'm Jones."

"No doubt from the South of Italy with your dark features. You said 'was.' Are your parents not alive?"

Jeffrey glanced down. "No. They died in an accident."

Vinchenzo compassionately put an arm over his shoulder.

"I'm very sorry. Looks like you and I have something in common. Do ya want ta help me feed a boatload of hungry sailors? Grab some bowls and forks over in that cupboard there."

"Sure! Thanks."

"I like you, Jeffrey Jones. As long as you're on our ship I'll watch out for ya, and I know the Captain will. If Phineas were here, I think he'd treat you like a kid brother and do the same."

Jeffrey nodded and smiled. He knew that was true. He wondered how long it'd take for Phineas to find him, and he hoped that he were safe too. He already liked Vinchenzo and he would try to stay on the Captain's good side.

"Thanks a lot, Vinchenzo, I've always dreamed of being a sailor or a pirate!"

"Hey, I think you'll make a fine sailor, but a pirate? Well…yes! I can see it…so don't cut your hair. And you'll need to grow a beard and let the sun tan and weather ya a bit."

Jeffrey made a playful scowl. "Arr! Just call me Jamaica Jones!"