VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
DISCOVERIES - BOOK 1
(The First New Adventure)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
October 2006 (Revised 05/2009)
Previous disclaimers apply
Chapter 2 - A JOURNEY CUT SHORT
On the eastern coast of what would eventually be called "The Americas" and what later became known as San Salvador in the Bahaman Islands, Bogg and Jeff fell through the time portal and landed on the beach. They arrived at the exact location where Columbus was to come ashore after making his famous journey.
With some effort, Bogg stood up and rubbed his aching backside.
"Ooow! Oh! These landings sure aren't getting any easier. Voyager Technical needs to do something about this before I lose a limb or something." He mumbled to himself.
Only a moment had passed before Bogg noticed his young partner lying flat on his face in the sand behind him. Quickly he ran over and kneeled at his side.
"Kid, are you ok?"
"Yea." Jeff responded as he pried his body from the sand. There was a short pause before he started to cough and spit the sand from his mouth.
"Yea. I'm ok. No broken bones…just a mouth full of sand."
Bogg laughed and began teasing his partner.
"We just ate, kid. I can't believe you are still hungry! What's next on the menu? A palm tree, perhaps?"
Jeff wiped the remaining sand from his lips before responding.
"Ha, Ha... You're a barrel of laughs!. Everyone just loves a comedian, especially one dressed in pirate clothes."
Bogg continued with his relentless teasing as he got to his feet and helped pry Jeff out of the sand.
"Next time, remember to land on your back and not your stomach. It's also important to land with your mouth closed."
"Like I really have a choice with the omni." Jeff protested as he polished the omni on his red-striped shirt and handed it back to Bogg. "Here. You can have this back now."
Bogg smiled as took the device from him and opened it.
"October 12, 1492, San Salvador. Good job, kid! Looks like we are in the right place." Bogg confirmed as he peered curiously at the sky. "By the angle of the sun, I'd say it's around 10:00 in the morning. But, wait a minute, we have a red light!"
"Red Light? What's wrong?" Jeff asked curiously.
"That's just what I was about to ask you." Bogg said as he closed the Omni and clipped it to his belt. "You're the walking history book…Any ideas? I thought you said he was supposed to come ashore here?"
"Yea. This is where he was supposed to land." Jeff acknowledged as he gazed out at the ocean.
"Hmmm…well obviously something isn't quite right here. Maybe we should take cover behind those bushes over there and wait him out. The last thing we want to do is have Columbus see us here if and when he arrives."
"Right." Jeff agreed as he took off toward the bushes.
Almost half way to his destination, Jeff stopped when he realized his partner was not with him. As he looked back, he noticed Bogg was still standing behind him with a perplexed look on his face.
"Hey! What are you waiting for? C'mon!"
"Sure kid." Bogg yelled. "Young kids and old omnis give me such a pain."
Once Bogg had caught up with his partner, the two made their way over to the area. Luckily for the two, they spotted a small clearing conveniently located behind the bushes. Realizing this was the perfect spot from which to inconspicuously observe the shoreline, the two sat down in the clearing and waited.
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A couple of hours passed. By now, the two had now grown tired and become restless in their wait for Columbus. With no sign of his ships on the horizon, the two stretched out onto the soft, white sand. Bogg closed his eyes for a moment while basking in the soothing warmness of the sun's rays. Jeff tried his best to relax, but the angst of not knowing the status of Columbus's journey kept him from doing so. He fidgeted for a time as he watched the clouds passing overhead.
"Bogg?"
"Yea, kid."
"Uh… You know… Uh…"
Jeff began to stumble on his words as if he were having trouble gathering his thoughts.
"Uh…"
Bogg opened his eyes and looked over at his partner.
"Go ahead kid, spit it out!" He sensed Jeff had something he wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to do so.
"You know, Bogg, you have always told me that you were a pirate before you became a voyager." Jeff said boldly.
Bogg smiled a bit and was somewhat blasé with his response.
"Yea, I was a pirate alright."
"Why is it you never talk about that part of your life?" Jeff asked pointedly.
"Well, kid…I"
Bogg paused for a moment, cleared his throat and started to look off into the distance. Jeff's question had caught him completely by surprise. He now found himself as uncomfortable attempting to respond to the question as Jeff was trying to pose it.
"It's not a part of my life I enjoy talking about." Bogg said curtly. He sat there for a moment pondering his last statement and again looked to his partner.
"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean to be rude."
"That's ok…" Jeff responded. "It's ok if you don't want to talk about it."
"No, it's not that… I don't mind talking about it. I just…I."
"What was it like, Bogg?" Jeff asked with a sense of overwhelming curiosity in his tone. "You know, sailing around the world on all those ships, the sword fights, those big chests filled with all that treasure and walking around with a parrot on your shoulder."
Bogg began to laugh uncontrollably.
"Kid…I."
Bogg coughed and gasped for air as he tried his best to regain his composure.
"I'd say you have definitely been watching too many pirate movies." Bogg replied as he nodded his head in disbelief.
"First of all, let me set the record straight here and now! Pirates DO NOT walk around with parrots on their shoulders and I assure you, no parrot ever sat on mine."
Jeff laughed as his partner paused to gather his thoughts.
Several moments passed. As Bogg sat there silently recollecting memories from his days as a pirate, a thought came to the forefront of his mind. Up until now, no one had ever taken an interest in his prior life as a pirate or even his life in general for that matter. Jeff's curiosity about his pirating days had now reopened a chapter in his life which he had closed many years ago. It was this simple act of asking him about this time that caused Bogg to experience a sort of warm feeling inside, a feeling that someone actually cared about him as a person. It was this feeling that now compelled him to share his story.
By this time Jeff had become concerned since his partner hadn't said a word for quite a time now. He looked over and nudged him on the arm.
"Bogg, are you ok?"
Startled by his partner's question, Bogg jerked suddenly and replied.
"Oh, sorry about that…I'm ok…I just got caught up in a passing thought. Now, where was I. Uh…let's see…life as a pirate."
With this, Bogg began to tell the story of his days as a pirate.
"Ok, first of all, the life of a pirate is not as glamorous or exciting as is shown in the movies. You spend most of your time aboard ship sailing from one conquest to another."
Jeff sat up and faced his partner as he continued with his story.
"The living conditions are not all that great either and are as close to roughing it as you can get. You remember the breakfast we had this morning?"
"Yea Bogg! It was great." Jeff replied.
"Well, we never had such fare on the ship. Most of the time, we had something that looked like porridge, occasionally some jerky, salted meat or fish. The beverage of choice was either ale or rum. Usually the rum was reserved for the captain's indulgences. "
"Porridge? Yuck!" Jeff exclaimed.
"And remember those comfortable beds we slept in last night? Well, you won't find mattresses or pillows on pirate ships. If you were lucky, you slept on a hard wooden bunk or in a rope hammock. Sometimes those luxuries weren't available and you no other choice but to make your bed on the hard deck floor."
"Wow Bogg! It sounds like you had to be really tough to be a pirate."
"You said it kid!"
"While aboard ship, you live and work with a bunch of men the likes of which include thieves, killers, scoundrels and ex-convicts. Within hours of coming aboard you soon realize that treachery, disloyalty and betrayal run rampant in this environment. These men will stop at nothing, including selling their own mother to get treasure, money or other loot. I also found out the hard way that you have to watch your back, otherwise you could end up with a knife in it or something even worse."
Jeff chuckled. "What could be worse than having a knife in your back?"
"Plenty, kid, now let me continue."
"As for the sword fights, well, they are not as dramatic as they are portrayed in the movies. However, the outcome is the same. Someone lives and someone dies. But sword fights were not the only method of resolving differences onboard ship. There were many fistfights as well. If you couldn't settle your differences with either of these methods…well, you could just throw the person overboard.
"How many fights were you in?" Jeff asked, now impressed by his partner's bravery.
"Well…way too many to count. "
"Did you ever kill anyone?"
"No. I've hurt quite a few, but I've never killed anyone. Killing is wrong. It's a waste and it doesn't really solve anything."
"On a pirate ship, there is a pecking order. The captain and first mate are at the top of this order. They decide which ships and locations to plunder. They also control all the loot that is taken. The crew of the ship, those men like myself, must work for their part of the loot. When you are not sleeping, you are expected to work. The hours are long and the work is extremely hard. From sunrise to sunset, you are either hoisting or taking down sails, swabbing the deck, rowing, or doing any number of other tasks."
"There is also a set of rules that one must abide by on these ships. A sort of unwritten code so to speak. The captain expects you to follow his orders and show complete loyalty to him, and anything short of that could bring any number of retributions upon you. I was a pirate for several years on one ship, and witnessed many forms of punishment for disobedience. I have seen many men tied to the mast and whipped within an inch of their lives for a small infraction of these rules. I've seen men's hands cut off for stealing and if you dare mutiny against the captain, you faced the ultimate punishment, the plank."
"So, what caused you quit being a pirate and to become a Voyager?" Jeff asked as he drew circles in the soft sand.
"That's a good question. Really, I never was a good pirate to begin with. Most good pirates have no conscience or very small ones at best. They don't see the end effect of the destruction and looting or even care for that matter. The ships destroyed; lives lost; the widows and orphans left behind. All of this…for what? A little bit of gold here, a few jewels there and a life of brutally hard work and drunkenness. That life was not for me. I felt it was a miserable way to live and after a while I came to the conclusion I wanted out."
Bogg paused again and then continued.
"I guess it all started some five or so years ago. It was at that point, my life began to change."
"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.
"You see, I met up with another pirate on the ship who was around my age. He had been a pirate for years and seemed to be in the same predicament as I was. Like me, he too was tired of the pirate's life and wanted out. After a time, I came to know and trust this guy very well and this led to us becoming very good friends. It seemed odd at first, especially for me, that is, if you can imagine such a relationship ever developing on a pirate ship. But it happened and I was grateful to have someone I could talk to and really trust. He would watch my back and I would watch his in return. If one of us was in trouble, the other would come running to assist."
One day, we were on the way to our next conquest when our ship ran into a terrible storm at sea. It was raining buckets and the winds were blowing fiercely. The sea was so violent that the waves were crashing across the deck. I, along with my friend and several of my shipmates were on deck and up top trying to keep us a float, when all of a sudden, a large wave came crashing down on top of us. In the chaos that ensued, I was hit in the head by some flying debris. Dazed and almost unconscious, the last thing I remember was my friend trying to hold on to me as yet another wave coming crashing down on the two of us. Unfortunately the wave was too strong and we both ended up going over the edge."
"The next thing I remember was waking up at Voyager Medical. At that time, I was greeted by a guy, whose likeness seemed vaguely familiar to me. He came to my bedside, told me I had a concussion and explained what had happened. The more I spoke with this guy, the more apparent it became that I had seen him somewhere before. I just couldn't put my finger on where I had seen him. And due to my injuries, my brain just wasn't cooperating at this point."
"Bogg, who was he? Did you ever figure it out?" Jeff asked.
"Yes, and what he said next I found almost unbelievable."
"Bogg, don't keep me in suspense." Jeff pleaded.
"As he continued his explanation, he revealed he was the guy I had befriended on the ship, only he was disguised as a pirate. His disguise was necessary for him to get close to me and to fulfill his mission without raising the crew's suspicions.
"His mission?" Jeff asked curiously. "What WAS his mission?"
"Long before I had arrived, the powers that be at Voyager Headquarters had taken an interest in me as a potential voyager candidate. They sent this guy, my preceptor on assignment aboard my ship to observe me and to prepare the way for me to become a voyager."
"He informed me that I had been recruited to become a part of a special organization known as Voyagers. They were a special group of people whose sole purpose was to travel through space and time and fix problems with history. Then he explained how potential voyager candidates are recruited. For a person to become a candidate, he must be taken from his timeline at a point where any future action or event involving the person would have no effect on history. Sometimes it is just before the person's death.
"Why do they have to recruit you just before your death?" Jeff asked with some concern. " I don't understand Bogg. I'm a Voyager, does that mean I was about to die when you came into my bedroom?"
"Whoa now, let's not jump to conclusions." Bogg teased. "No. Your situation was very unique. Unlike most candidates, your becoming a voyager was actually a part of your timeline."
Jeff looked up at this partner. "I still don't understand, Bogg."
Bogg smiled warmly and nodded.
"Ok, let me try to explain. According to the Voyager Code, when a candidate is recruited to become a Voyager, he must be taken out of his own timeline.
To do this correctly requires some forethought and planning on behalf of the preceptor. You know, you can't just pluck the person out of time at any old point in their timeline. Doing so would inevitably change history. The preceptor has to follow the timeline of their new recruit, looking for a point where his actions cease to have any direct effect on future events. At that moment, the new recruit is taken out of time and brought to VHQ for training. Sometimes it takes months, even years for the right moment to present itself."
"This is complicated stuff." Jeff acknowledged.
"Yea, Jeff. Time is a complicated thing. You will learn more about it once you enroll at Voyager Academy. But for now, don't worry about the details."
"Let's see, where was I. Oh yea. My preceptor told me he had to wait for the right moment to take me out of my timeline and that moment came when the two of us were washed overboard. At that point, my life in that timeline was over."
"Next, he asked me if I was ready to participate in the adventure of a lifetime. Of course I was ready. I was willing to do anything, anything besides being a pirate."
"What happened next, Bogg?"
"Well, for several days, I remained in the medical unit recovering from my ordeal. After that, I enrolled at Voyager Academy where I trained to become a Voyager. That's where I met Susan, the love of my life. After several years and much hard work, I finally graduated. With my omni and guidebook in hand, I proceeded to take on the challenges of setting right history's wrongs. About a year or so later, my omni malfunctioned and that's when I landed in your bedroom. The End."
"So now you know the story of Phineas Bogg, the ex-pirate turned Voyager."
"What a story, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed.
After several more hours of waiting and watching for the arrival of Columbus, it was now mid-afternoon. The two voyagers had now grown quite concerned about the explorer and about this mission. Suddenly, in the background, the sound of drums could be heard.
"Shhhh! Listen!" Bogg paused and then asked in a whisper, "What's that?"
"Drums." Jeff replied. "There must be natives close by."
"Kid, were you sure about that date?" Bogg whispered. "He was actually supposed to land here today. Right?"
"Yea, this is the correct date and place."
At that moment, the beating of the drums became louder. Jeff eyes grew wide as he clutched his partner's arm.
"Bogg, I'm scared." Jeff said nervously.
Bogg made a half-hearted attempt at a smile as he looked at Jeff.
"These natives you spoke of, I hope they are friendly." He asked.
"I don't know Bogg." Jeff said as his fear had now caused him to stumble on his words. "There were several different tribes that inhabited in this area; some were friendly and some not so friendly."
"Ok, what's the worst that could happen to us?"
Jeff tightened his grip on Bogg's arm. "We could be treated really well or we could have our heads scalped."
"Oh…" Bogg replied as the smile had now been washed off his face. "I don't like the sound of that last bit."
"Neither do I" Jeff said with a tone of uncertainty.
Jeff slid over closer to his partner. Bogg put his arm around him and reassured the young voyager. "Hey! We have been in scarier situations than this. It's gonna be o-k."
"It's obvious that Columbus did not make it here." Jeff whispered. "Something went terribly wrong to cause him to not to complete his journey. We have to go back and find out what happened."
"So can we go now Bogg? We can't do anything more here, and I don't like the sound of those drums coming from behind us."
Bogg retrieved the omni from his belt and opened it. "Where to?" He asked.
"Wait a minute, uh… We need to get there around the time he approached the King and Queen for support. Let's see…it was after the Moors were defeated. Umm… I remember now…Grenada, in January of 1492. No! Wait! According to history the agreement with Isabella to fund the voyage was not signed until the 14th of April. We need to get there before the 14th."
"So in other words, we need to arrive say…around the first of April?" Bogg whispered.
"Yea. That will give us time to find Columbus and hopefully fix the problem."
Bogg dialed up the correct date and location on the omni. In the next instant, the two were startled by the sounds of footsteps, snapping twigs and rustling grass coming from behind them.
"Bogg!!!" Jeff yelled in a whisper. "Let's get outta here!"
All of a sudden, a tall dark figure emerged from the brush and stood several paces to the right of them. A native of the area, he was dressed only in a loincloth and had painted markings on his face and chest. He held a large pointed spear in one hand and a shield in the other. He paused for a moment unaware that he was not alone.
Jeff pointed to the native. "Booooogggggg! Look!" He exclaimed in a somewhat shaky and whispered tone. The native, hearing Jeff's whisper, immediately turned and saw the two voyagers sitting in the sand. He began to speak to them in some foreign tongue and then proceeded to approach them.
Jeff grabbed Bogg's arm. "Hit it! Hit the button Bogg!" He shouted.
Bogg pressed the button on the omni and they vanished.