Chapter 1
I felt the wind, waves, and heat. That is what woke me with a start, eyes flying open as I rocketed up into a sitting position. I hurriedly looked around confused about what was going on. This wasn't Scotland, or Britain for that matter. It was hot, and a dry but cool wind was blowing. My surroundings were very unusual, it looked like metal, perhaps from a ship, and a few lengths of wood, holding up what appeared to be a lean-to of some kind. From the entrance of the lean too, I could see a clothesline of some sort with some clothing on it, and the sea. The lean-to appeared to be on a beach of some kind, though the floor of the lean-to was covered with branches and large leaves. It was surprisingly comfortable. I then seized in fear; my Javelin was gone. Which was weird, I'd never had one as far as I could tell, but I knew deep down I was missing it. This panic drove me upwards, as I rapidly rose to unsteady feet, trying to get out and look.
However, as I made my way out of the lean-to my legs gave way and with a thump, I impacted the sand blinking my eye ferociously. Disturbing a bunch of something as I did, seeing as there was the noise of something falling or collapsing afterword. I tried to get back up but I couldn't. This was only more disconcerting as I heard footsteps approaching.
"Oh! are you awake?" came a voice from behind. I didn't respond but tried to get up again, fear gripping me. I didn't know who this was or if they had kidnapped me. I couldn't get up, I guess I was just that weak for whatever reason. "Did you fall?" my blood ran cold as the voice came from directly behind me, "Let me help you up, you must be weak from your experience". Suddenly arms grabbed me from behind, lifting me up. This startled me, and I got scared.
"H-hey! Leave me alone! Who ur ye!? If ye dae anything to me th' Roy'l Navy an' Bri'ish government will find you!" I cried, trying to struggle in the grasp that held me. That said I was too weak for whatever reason so my flailing felt very weak to me.
"W-whoa calm down! I'm not planning to do anything to you" the voice replied, "Please stop struggling I might drop you!"
"How dae ken ye won't!?" I responded.
"Why would I do that?" the voice replied, rife with confusion. At that I stopped struggling and tried to turn my head back to look at whoever this was. But I was unable to. I didn't offer a response, as the sound of confusion was so palpable, I couldn't believe that she, the voice sounded feminine enough so I decided this was a she, had kidnapped me. That just left the confusion of where I was, and who this was. She moved me back into the lean to, which had apparently not been what fell, and with some difficulty laid me back down saying "You really should rest, I'm sure your ordeal was rather hard."
I finally got a good look at whoever this was, and was met by a surprising lack of clothing on them. "W-wait!, whit aboot clothing!?" I cried more in surprise than embarrassment.
"Whoops!, I thought I might have been missing something" She responded with, her voice sounding as if some great mystery had been concluded "I've been here too long" the last part in a lower voice, I could tell I wasn't supposed to hear that. She retreated from my immediate line of sight. She returned momentarily; this time clothed. "I'm sorry about that, I've been here by myself for 2 years, and well there isn't anything suitable to make clothes with here and the rest of mine are unwearable now, so I tend not to wear my last set" Came her explanation.
" 'at seems reasonable" I replied, "But where ur we?"
"I'm not entirely sure, I know somewhere in the Te Rangimarie Ocean. Beyond that I don't know" was the response. The name didn't sound familiar to me, I didn't know of a single ocean or sea called that, and I had sailed most of them in Europe.
"How can you not ken? Ye said yerself ye had been here two years?"
"Involuntarily"
"Whit dae ye mean involuntarily?"
"Well how did you get here? I imagine it was the same way."
"I don't ken, last I knew I was floating in Troon, next I was here" I responded confusion, driving frustration into my voice. Her expression at that was one that confused me, as she now looked confused.
"You were floating? In Troon? So like a Harbor?" she asked, words slow like she was voicing a hesitant theory.
"Aye" That was met with silence while she thought about it.
"I've never heard of Troon, but more importantly are you sure?" I could sort of understand that; I hadn't heard of it until I was sold. But she seemed strangely hung up on what I had been doing last.
"Aye" I replied, a bit more force in it.
"Okay" was her response. I opened my mouth again to ask her why she was asking me this. However, I was interrupted "Your probably thirsty, here have some water" she reached behind her and held out a glass bottle, that looked nothing like any I had ever seen. It seemed more primitive, than anything else. Thrown off guard, but realizing she was right, accepted it. She helped me sit up, and I drained the bottle. "I'm sure you are tired, so lie here and rest, I've got some more things to do but I'll be back. If for some reason you need anything call for me, I should be nearby."
"Wait! Whit aboot otuhart" I started but was cut off by
"Otuhart can wait, you need to rest, we can talk about it tonight". With that she smiled at me then stood up and left. I thought I heard the person from earlier didn't seem to be around. A 'not shipwrecked?' but I couldn't be certain. I set the bottle next to me and tried to think about the situation I was in, but instead, I fell asleep. I awoke later, and noticed that there was less light, looking out of the lean-to, I saw that the sun seemed to be setting. But I noticed that the person from earlier wasn't here. I contemplated going to find her. But a quick test told me I hadn't recovered from whatever had left me here.
"Are you awake?" came her voice from the left outside. As I sat up to see and respond her head poked around the top left corner of the lean-to.
"Aye" I replied, she fully entered into view as I replied.
"Good, I was a little concerned that you might not be up to eat" was her response. I then noticed she has a basket or container of some sort in her hands. "I figure after sleep and rest; you are going to need food to recover".
"True I am feeling rather peckish" I concurred with her. Though I wondered how this would mesh with the engines. Hopefully not ruin them.
"Here" I was offered a basket full of different fruits, "They are all safe, unfortunately, that's all there is". I nodded and took the basket and started to eat. Still mostly in the lean-to, my vision blocked to the sides. The fruit was rather good, and I started to feel more energized as I ate. She also ate, and for a bit there wasn't much sound passing between us. I then noticed something.
"Why isn't thir any 'ire?" I asked, commenting on what I noticed.
"Ah, well the problem is there aren't many trees on the island and not a lot of driftwood. We are in one of the most remote places in the ocean." Came her reply. I nodded at that and continued to eat.
"Wait! I don't know yer name! I've been so confused an' disoriented aboot everything it never occurred to me to ask! am sorry" I apologized. I hadn't meant to be rude.
"Oh, same I guess, I'm Rangitaiki Lahti. What's your name then?" she replied between bites of fruit.
"I'm HMS Javelin pendant number G61!" I replied with gusto. It was only right for me to answer her. However, Rangitaiki seemed to become confused.
"Wait does HMS stand for? What's a pendant number? Why would you have those? Those don't sound like parts of names?"
"You don't ken?" I replied the pendant number part made sense, but I thought the HMS would be self-explanatory "Well HMS is easy! It stands for His Majesty's Ship. The pennant number is an Identification system. The letter stands for a type of 'hip, in this case G means destroyer, and the number is simply th' number identifying me". This only seemed to confuse her more.
"Why would you have any of those, you're not a ship?" now it was my turn to be confused.
"Aye, I am! I am Javelin of the J-class destroyers. I was commissioned June 10th 1939 in Clydebank Scotland in the United Kingdom of Great Britain to the Royal Navy!" I shot back, getting frustrated. Rangitaiki looked away from me, forehead creased and confusion reigning.
"I don't know about any of that, you mentioned some of those words earlier, but ships are ships, not people. That's what you are a person" she started slowly, setting down the basket she held, reaching out. She gripped my arm and held it up for me to see. "Ships don't have arms, or hands" she interwove her fingers with mine as she said that "and they for sure can't talk like you have been". I was quiet. As that factor just now sank in. I had felt my arms, and body, since I had woken up here. But before, I had felt… cold, ridged, and lonely. Why was I like this?
My thoughts caused tears to flow from my eyes. I didn't know what was happening. My body instinctively fell to the ground and started to curl up, eyes closed. Crying.
"Jervis, where ur ye? Am scared" My voice was weak and wavering. I was scared. I didn't know what was going on, I had an idea of why I was in Troon, scrapping, but Jervis had been there. And that had made me feel better. But now I was a person, somewhere in the world. Alone. "Kelvin, Kimberley" I sobbed out my half-sisters' names. I didn't know them well but they had also been in Troon. Even if they weren't Jervis, I still cared for them.
Suddenly there was a comforting weight on me.
"It's okay, I'm here, I may not be the people you are asking for but I'm still here for you" Rangitaiki whispered to me, embracing me. I couldn't speak so I just nodded in response. She held me while I cried. She wasn't as comforting as Jervis, which was not her fault, or as funny as Kelvin. But it was enough for me at this moment. Eventually, the crying settled down. "Are you feeling better?"
"A-aye" I replied voice strengthening "Thank ye".
"It's okay, everyone has moments like this. Besides, if we are to get through this, we need to work together" she responded.
"Yea" I responded. I was silent for a bit "I wasn't lying aboot th' 'hip stuff, I know I canny prove it, but I'm not lying aboot this. I ken it's odd, but that's what I am." I didn't expect her to believe me, or perhaps she would claim I was crazy, but this is me and I needed to say that to feel in place and retain my sense of self.
"It's what you believe, then it's what you believe. I can only say what I can see, and I can see that you are upset and a person" was the response.
"Thank ye" It went quiet again. I didn't know much about Rangitaiki, but so far, she seemed like a good and kind person.
"If you are in better states now, I'm going to sit up. There are still a few things I need to do. But I won't be too far off." She told me.
"Aye, thank ye" I replied. Rangitaiki unwound herself from me and presumably sat up. I opened my eyes and saw that it was much darker than before.
"I'll be just within talking distance of the shelter" Rangitaiki told me standing up "So if you want, we can talk, especially if it will help you feel better."
"'at'd be nice" I replied. I sat back up with difficulty. Rangitaiki nodded. "Oh, this might sound weird" I started "But I hav an impression 'at I may hav had a Javelin with me, so if ye could keep a lookout for it"
"I can do that" she responded, with that, she disappeared from my sight.
"How old ur ye?" I asked her, I wasn't sure what to talk about so I defaulted to what I thought would be some basic stuff to get us started.
"17" came the reply. She was young about the same age as the men who had served on me. Just a year younger. Then I recalled that she had uttered something about having been here for two years. That would mean she would have been 15 when whatever happened; happened. I expressed as such to her. "Oh! I was signed on as a cabin boy, well girl, and as a navigator's trainee or assistant. So, I wasn't a proper member of the crew. I mainly fetched things and did chores. I wouldn't really count myself as part of the crew." Was her response.
"Why wuild they leave ye here then?" I asked. I hadn't been able to think much about why she was here, but if there had been a crew, and if she had been 15 when she got here, why was she here? I wasn't sure but I figured that she must have been manning some sort of installation here. I doubted; she would have been allowed on the ship given her age. At least in my experience as a warship, she would have been too young to serve on a ship. However, after my question the sounds of whatever she was doing stopped. It was quiet, only the sounds of waves.
"I was shipwrecked here" finally came the quiet reply. Oh. It all made sense now. I felt bad after my confusion and chaos that I had created with my arrival; I had now made it worse. I had brought up something that must have been terrible for her. I teared up. I couldn't help it, I was still a bit scared, and now I had accidently brought this up.
"Am-Am sorry" I sobbed, bursting into tears again. I couldn't even imagine what that would hav been like. I had almost sunk in 1940, but had survived. But that wasn't a shipwreck, and that had been during a war. That was such a different set of circumstances. I was also a ship, so my perspective would be vastly different from that of someone in the ship. Suddenly I was hugged.
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known, based upon you story. It's okay." Rangitaiki whispered to me. Rubbing my back trying to calm me down. I didn't know if it was helping, but I didn't try to stop her. Instead I hugged her back. I continued to cry. Perhaps harder now. I couldn't try and respond to what she was saying. Eventually, everything caught up to me, and I drifted off to sleep.
