Things Never Left Unsaid

Chapter Four

Kraglin walked with Aleta for a short while until they came to a small disused bridge, high on the Elector, from their vantage point both of them could look into the deep down, of the Galleon.

"No one comes up here, Peter doesn't even know about it". Stated Kraglin flatly, as with both of them on the bridge, Kraglin just waited for Aleta to say something, and for a full minute, she didn't.

"Well come on then, we have things to discuss, come on bitch, discuss them with me."

Finally, Aleta opened her mouth "I understand you might be still angry…but I had no choice", to which Kraglin gave a dark laugh, "oh you serious, after all these years you had no fucking choice. There was always a choice, you didn't give two shits about us, and you know it".

Aleta, just steadied herself, and tried once more, she could understand how conflicted Kraglin could be after all these years, but the years she had spent justifying her actions, to the point she was sure it was correct.

"The mission was more important…".

"Then us, then Regellen, Hoag and me, yes I understand it was more important when it dawned on us, you were never coming back for us".

"There was never an opportunity to come back for you, you have to understand that".

"That didn't stop Yondu did it, he was there, defied the lot of you, to come back, rescue me and try to scrape back the person I once was, and to be honest I was almost there, at times I could forget. Then he had to contact you and Stakar and the first thing you assholes do is talk about the Clans. Right, the Clans and their stupid, hypocritical rules. No dealing in kids, but fuck it if your junior Ravagers".

Kraglin, spat the last word, even after all these years he was channelling the person he had managed to forget about, but now all his old anger had returned.

"And the best part is, the moment you come on to my galleon, my ship, my home, you give is shit about trafficking Peter, since you all such a sanctimonious lot, aren't you?"

"We have to make sure that boy is safe".

"Oh, for the love of God, look around you, does he look deprived in any way, strange that your first action isn't to the kids we're trying to locate, it's to Peter. As if Yondu and I are shitty parent, what bollocks".

Everything Kraglin was saying has a grain of truth of it, hut Aleta who had been a first mate for longer refused to be defined in such a manner.

"Everything about you needs to be investigated, Yondu killed Captain Riddhi, just because you're independent doesn't mean we've forgotten that".

To which Kraglin just gave a dark laugh, "Why the hell not, did you think I was stupid? After what you did, what both of you did, you decided to send me off to a tyrant of a Captain, an independent Captain. If your job was to get rid of me, then it blew up in your face when Yondu and the rest decided to join. Yondu just wanted to get away from you both. He never imagined…and neither did I".

Kraglin ran his hand over his face as a memory he willed to resist jumped to the surface.

"You sent us to a bastard, who would have killed us all if Yondu hadn't intervened, and yes we made him Captain, but it was a choice, the first mate was also a choice, and here I am now. The man you sent left to die stands on equal footing with you, god it must make you sick".

Besides we all know it was a shit show when we found out he had no use for a First Mate…what was it you said to me once Aleta "Never trust a Captain, without a First Mate", well never trust a First Mate who's an absolute bitch".

Aleta recoiled as if she had been slapped since she knew the truth in Kraglin's words even if she would deny it, as Kraglin continued.

"But you know what the best part is, is that I've achieved twice as much as you. I'm married, have a fantastic son, have a crew that are loyal and work hard, Yondu and I have made contacts that have made us a fortune, all of our crew have a share, and we've done it all by ourselves. We've never begged the Clans for help, we did all of it, and you're still there, the first mate of a crew, which the Clans have to promote unless Stakar dies, and that's never happened."

Kraglin took a breath still unloading home truths, "So according to the screwed-up rules of the Clans, you have to leave your husband, spends so much time apart, or Stakar has to die for you to become Captain, and I don't care about it. Tell me, Aleta, did you abandon us, to show how ruthless you could be, because how's that worked out for you…shit it hasn't".

Kraglin was babbling now, but he didn't care.

"Do you want to know why I kept this" Kraglin gestured to the long scar running down the centre of his right eye, "It was a reminder, because every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded of it, and I remember how easy it is to be a shitty First Mate, and I promised myself I would never be like you.

Because that's the best thing about it, is that Yondu and I are not equal, we're better because we're tough, ruthless bastard Ravagers…but we've never left anyone behind". Yelled Kraglin, only to be met, by Aleta pulling back her hand and punched him square in the face, which Kraglin returned, and both Xandarians staggered back, with blood gushing down their noses.

"I will never apologise to you Kraglin, I made a choice, and it was the right one", but instead of the response she expected Kraglin just started laughing, more to himself, as he wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand

"And you've just proved me right, because I don't care anymore, in fact".

"Iztel, get to the mess hall now, Shit's going down", suddenly, emitted over the airwaves, as Kraglin, never bothered to finish his sentence as he took off through the ship, with Aleta following behind him.

Several minutes earlier, in the Mess Hall.

Proctom, still had the glass raised to his lips, when the sound was disturbed by heavy footsteps coming into the room.

"Proctom, I know dinner is in an hour, but I'm starving now", said Yarovesky, quickly, since he hadn't stopped working all day, and almost skidded to a halt, at the sight upon him. Proctom and that Ravager Captain, seated, with a glass of. "What the fuck is that?"

Before Proctom could reply, Yarovesky ripped the glass, from Proctom's hand, sniffed it twice and took a sip. The whisky was intense and seemed to burn a hole in his mouth, before he looked at it, and looked at Proctom, in shock.

"Did you drink this…Proctom, I'm not fucking with you. Did you drink this?"

Proctom got up from his chair and backed away, finding his words "No, I didn't, he told me it had no alcohol in it". Stated Proctom, feeling very uncomfortable, as Yarovesky not giving a shit about rank turned on the Captain.

"Are you insane, are you fucking insane, you could have killed him". Yelled Yarovesky, as he sent a hail on his communicator,

"Iztel, get to the mess hall now. Shit's going down",

In truth., the correct procedure would have been to call Yondu, but everyone knew Iztel was responsible for Proctom and would overrule Yondu in a heartbeat.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, he told you he couldn't drink booze. What kind of sack of shit captain, are you?"

Proctom, just looked at the glass, Yarovesky was holding, trying to understand this. A Captain had intentionally tried to get him drunk…but why, why would he do that? Proctom began to feel really warm and just back away further, as Iztel followed by, Jamsean, Gunnsen, and Horuz, who had heard the summons and came to the conclusion that Proctom was having a seizure. Instead, they saw this.

Stakar had risen from his chair, still holding his own drink, as he turned towards the crew, and now it was time for him to be surprised.

"Iztel…what the fuck happened to you?".

Iztel who's eyes were still fading had been told by Yondu and Kraglin who would be attending, but to be honest, hadn't given it much thought, he rarely thought of his old life in any glowing terms. But he knew precisely how he looked to Stalker, who was almost incredulous at the sight before him

The last time, Stakar has seen Iztel, he had been one his most feared and fierce Ravagers, always ready with a quip and always ready for the kill, but this.

He was older, all of them were, but though his hazy eyes, and missing arm, now left only by a stump at his shoulder, Iztel just ignored Stakar and went over to the young Proctom, who's face was just ashen.

"What happened lad, tell me what happened?". He was expecting to find his Assistant in the grip of a seizure, but even with his hazy vision, summarised it was something else entirely.

"He told me, it had no booze, and he gave it to me". Proctom's voice was no more than a whisper, as Iztel, with his one good arm, gave Proctom's shoulder which could only be described as fatherly squeeze.

"Did you drink it?", concern was laced in Iztel's voice as Proctom shook his head, "No, but I was going to, why the hell would he do that?". Proctom needed some confirmation, as Iztel took the glass Yarovesky was holding, sniffed it twice and stole a gulp, instantly winching for the strength.

"Saurian whisky, for the love of god you could have killed him Stakar, what the hell is wrong with you?".

Stakar knew he had royally screwed this up and tried to explain since this was not what he had been expecting. "He can't drink".

To which Iztel responded. "No, he can't, he can't drink a single drop of booze".

Proctom by this point was leaning against the counter, rubbing his hands over his face, as the implication of what could have happened, run through his mind, but Iztel wasn't finished.

"I can't believe you Stakar, just can't, five minutes on the ship, and you almost kill my Assistant, fucking amazing".

All Stakar could respond to this was an almost pathetic "I didn't know."

"It should matter if you "knew" or not, the lad told he couldn't drink, so you choose to spike it. Fuck, always knew you were a bastard, and now you've confirmed it.

"So yeah, I'm not the Captain. Instead, I'm a cook, I'm a tutor, I've got two boys to look after, and do you want to know something? I'm grateful for that, I'm still considered useful as a Ravager and I still am one.

To be honest, I'm glad I'm not that man anymore, because that man really was an unfeeling bastard, just like you. So, I don't regret, not a single one, I've got one arm, and I'm going blind and I wouldn't change it for the world. And I'll be fucked if I allow you or anyone, to take that from me".

Declarations like this were rare from Iztel, but everyone caught a glimpse of who he once was. The fearsome Ravager, who would cut anyone down, but it was rare to see him so solidly pissed.

Stakar who remembered Iztel when he was a junior member of his own crew, tried to reconcile the man he recalled to the one in front of him, and it was such a drastic transformation, it was like talking to a stranger.

Stakar was about to say something when everyone's heads tuned to a small voice suddenly gasping out "Iztel". The moment Proctom slumped to the floor and began fitting.

To be continued

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