Jim glared through his bangs as he scrambled to clear the piles of dirty dishes from the tables. No, 'dirty' was too gentle a word. Old food had been left to mold and spoil. The stench of rotting meat turned his stomach. Back home, his mother never let dishes get this bad. He was beginning to realize why the crew hadn't minded his 'release'. He was still the cabin boy, and besides, no one else wanted to clean up the galley. With Silver as their captain now, he hardly had time to bother with it, though he still cooked on occasion. If he didn't the crew would've had to get by on the swill Mertock called broth. The horned alien could probably couldn't tell the difference between a radish and his own mother.
A piercing glare caught Jim's attention and he dropped his head, scurrying back to the kitchen. His ankles had been bound by thick leather cord, barely giving him enough slack to walk. Scroop hadn't strayed far from him since their last encounter, practically hovering over him. Though it made Jim increasingly uncomfortable, the pirate wasn't really paying much attention to him, so in hindsight maybe he should count his blessings and ignore him.
A loud thud on the other side of the wall startled him, and he almost dropped the pot he was washing. He rolled his eyes and scrubbed furiously at a mold spot. Amelia may have discouraged brawls, but Silver either didn't care or couldn't be bothered. Since Jim had been let out of the brig a week prior, he'd lost count of how many fights he'd seen break out. At one point Mr. Zuff had thrown Bird Brain Mary against the wall, and Onus had bitten multiple spacers. It turned out the slug had chiseled his teeth to sharp points. Those had been mere scuffles, however. Headly had stabbed Verne with a butter knife, and had impaled one of his suction cup-like hands on a table. On another occasion Aguanoggin had attempted to garrote Grewnge, and while the pirate lived the crude weapon had left deep cuts on his neck. These brawls were getting worse.
Jim wrinkled his nose as his hand touched something slimy. Wiping the filth on his apron he surveyed the area and decided he'd done enough for now. He was just about to take a break when a shout broke above deck.
"Planet ho!" Jim jumped up, joining the pirates as they crowded onto the deck. Through all the shoving and limb-flailing, he kept his balance. The skies around the ship were a dreary gray, thick with nebula clouds. He moved closer to the side of the ship, squinting in an attempt to make out a planet or port. Two planets loomed in the distance, their silhouettes shadows against the twilight and growing fainter as the clouds grew thicker. He looked down, and could just make out what must've been a mountain, growing larger as they drew closer. Thick layers of fog obscured the view the surface, and suddenly those heavy clouds gave way to curtains of mist. Below them lay the remains of volcano, a labyrinth of mountains twisting into the distance, and forests so thick they completely concealed the ground. Jim had heard stories of places like this, of mountains and trees but he'd never seen anything like it in his life, not even on Treasure Planet. The view took his breath away, even at night. Straining his eyes, he tried to make out anything else, but there were only shadows.
There was a muffled cry from the crows nest, but Jim didn't catch it. The rest of the crew seemed to have heard Onus just fine, as they all froze.
"Well?" Silver shouted, oblivious to their unease. "What are ye waitin' fer?!" Onus scurried down from the crow's nest, his body aquiver.
"Be-be-below us, Capteen," he stuttered. Silver moved to the bow of the ship, pulling his spyglass from his pocket and putting it to his prosthetic eye.
"What the devil- Turnbuckle!" He bellowed. "Take us higher! Grewnge, man the cannons!" The cyborg grabbed Jim by his shoulder as he passed, shouting orders and sending his crew bolting for their stations. Scroop made to intercept them, but Silver gave him such a venomous look the arachnid let them pass. Once in the stateroom Silver let go of the boy. Using his shoulder, he shoved the cabinet he'd been using to barricade the door back into place. He really needed to get that blasted door repaired.
"Why did you do that? You know he's gonna be pissed!" Jim hissed, panic in his eyes. Silver shook his head.
"Get yer robot friend back in the land o' the livin!" He bellowed, probably more for the benefit of anyone eavesdropping than Jim's. The boy scrambled to the heap of metal behind the captain's desk. Silver hadn't done any real damage to B.E.N, only disconnected his power supply, and after reconnecting a few wires the robot's eyes flickered, glowing as his processor came back online. His mouth shuttered and sparked before his voice box came back to life, words garbled in static. He blinked, staring dazedly up at the pirate. Suddenly his body went rigid.
"C-captain." B.E.N stuttered, his electronic voice almost devoid of emotion. Jim felt his stomach sink- sure, B.E.N was annoying, but if Silver had damaged him-
B.E.N's eyes turned to him.
"Oh, Jimmy! You came to rescue me!" B.E.N shouted, leaping into his arms, erasing his concerns and leaving Jim relieved, if a bit vexed.
"B.E.N, not now," he muttered as he put the robot down. "We have a problem." Instantly B.E.N's euphoria turned to panic.
"Oh no, we're all gonna die, I never even got to see the rings of Kirrian, please sweet powers that be, spare me-" Jim clamped his hands over B.E.N's mouth.
"We're not going to die!" He spat. "We..." He paused, and turned to Silver, who was consulting the sextant and one of the charts. "What exactly is the problem again?"
"That rusted heap o' bolts led us into a trap," he growled. B.E.N gasped, a hand touching his chest in an offended manner.
"I would never."
"Belay yer bullshit, there are ships down there, patrolling the damn planet!" Jim felt his heart begin to beat wildly. More ships? How? Nobody was supposed to know where they were going. Had Amelia and Delbert been able to track them somehow?
"Of course there are, its a trading port." B.E.N said, as though this were obvious. "Why wouldn't there be?"
"Ye said nothin' bout a trading port! This is a captured vessel ye imbecile, the constabulary will be on our arse before ye can scream fer yer mother!" B.E.N blinked, looking genuinely confused.
"What constabulary?"
"What in blue blazes do ye mean?!" Silver's eye was glowing. Jim shied away, unnerved. This new eye, while still obviously mechanical, looked much more human. The unnatural glow behind the fake sclera was unsettling to say the least. "You said this was one of Flint's hideouts, ye didn't say anythin' about there bein' other people here, so start talkin' before I rip you apart with my bare hands!" Something seemed to clik in B.E.N's mind.
"Waaaaait, you've never heard of Keres?" He asked. "You knew about Flint's trove but not Keres?"
"B.E.N what the fuck are you talking about?" Jim deadpanned. B.E.N's eyes flashed as he retrieved the information.
"Keres was- and apparently still is- a trading post for pirates and mercenaries from beyond the frontier. Back in Captain Flint's day, it was the most prosperous underground market chain in known- er, unknown- existence. Very hush-hush. Back then piracy was just getting it's start in the Terran Empire, and since you've never heard of it I'm guessing word never traveled that far."
"So you pointed us in the direction of a damn near ancient pirate outpost?" Jim summarized. B.E.N hesitated.
"If its security you're worried about, you'll be accepted with open arms. The map is regarded as Flint's personal seal. You show anyone that and they'll be obligated to grant you safety."
"And you're sure about that? Even though it's literally been hundreds of years since you've been here?"
"Yep!" Jim gave Silver a dubious look. The cyborg chewed his lip in thought. Finally he sighed.
"I want to know everything there is to know about this planet." B.E.N drew a deep breath, ready to comply, but this time Silver held his mouth shut, his mechanical vice clamping down on his metal jaws. He looked to Jim and nodded at the door. "Ye best leave boyo." Jim gave him a look.
"Are you fucking serious?"
"It'd be better if ye didn't know about te planet at all t'en knowin' somethin' that could get ye killed." Jim rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." Silver sighed. He let go of B.E.N(though not before giving him a pointed glare) and moved the cabinet away from the door, letting the sullen, sulking teen out of the stateroom. When the barricade had been replaced, he turned back to the robot.
"Now tell me 'bout this planet. And so help me, if you happen to 'forget' to mention any other details, I'll use yer circuits fer cannon fodder."
B.E.N. gulped.
They waited until dark, using the thick clouds to hide from the patrols. Finally Silver and B.E.N emerged from the stateroom. The pirates scrambled for their stations, and Turnbuckle took the helm. B.E.N assumed his role as navigator, surveying the electronic panels to Turnbuckle's side.
"Heading 2283. Find the ridge, follow it down." All was silent as Turnbuckle followed B.E.N's instructions save for the creaking of the ship. "Bring her down easy, straight into the trees." The pirates exchanged wary looks, but Silver barked at them to get to it. Slowly the Legacy descended into the forest. Boughs of trees whined and snapped, most of them clawing at her haul. B.E.N cringed. "He used to keep it so neat..." He muttered, probably talking about Flint. The forest around them suddenly turned to a vast canyon, hidden by the lush forest and snaking its way beneath the surface. Silver whistled with approval, noting the jagged metal spires that jutted out from the canyon's walls. Any vessel that tried to enter here without a map or guide would most likely be torn apart. The shredded haul of a ship dangling from one such spire seemed to prove him right.
The ship emerged from the canyon, the ground below the ship dropping away to reveal a deep gorge. Ahead of them, hidden from the sky by the tightly woven canopy lay a town. Silver squinted, bringing the port into focus. Ancient wooden docks reached toward them like decrepit fingers, crooked and rotting, held together with tar and rope.
Shambling buildings were stacked on top of each other, crammed together like crates on a freighter. Walkways comprised of rope bridges, gangplanks and crossbeams created a weblike pattern over the gorge, some as high as the trees.
There were pirates everywhere. A few seemed to be alarmed by the shape and color of Silver's captured ship, but when they saw the black flag they seemed to calm down a bit. Still, the Legacy's presence seemed to cause unease- the usual noise of a harbor was muted, subdued, and all eyes were on her.
Before long the Legacy had been docked. Silver picked three men to accompany him ashore- Scroop, Mertock and Grewnge- but before they could set foot on land they were met by a gang of towering figures.
"What business do you have here?" One demanded. Silver did his best not to stare. The alien that stood in front of him was massive, about as tall as Hands had been. This was where the similarities ended, however, as this alien's skin was a light brown color. Its head was shaped like a man's, but large tusklike bones protruded from it's jaw. It had six eyes, three on either side of its face, jet black and piercing. When it spoke its voice rattled in its throat.
"Me an' me crew be lookin to trade." Silver said with a friendly smile. The alien in front of him sneered down at them.
"We don't trade with Terrans. Get off our planet." He brandished a wicked looking scimitar, and his friends jeered their support. Silver caught Scroop's eye, giving the arachnid a sly smile.
"Ye don't say." He sighed, feigning disappointment. "Oh well. Guess ye won' be wantin' this then." He pulled the map from his pocket. The smug smirks and leering grins vanished, replaced with slack-jawed disbelief. Shouting dissolved to whispers, and Silver could've sworn someone actually muttered a prayer. The alien studied the pirates in front of him, his eyes wary, but he finally returned his blade to its sheath.
"Where did you get that?" He growled.
"A lifetime o' searchin', not without a few bumps in th' road." Silver pocketed the map. "No' I got me a walkin' pile of rust that tells me this trinket means somethin' to ye." The alien nodded solemnly.
"It does." He held out one massive arm in the direction of the odd looking town. "But here isn't the place to talk about such things. Please, come with me." Silver winked at his crew, and shouted an order over his shoulder that no one else had better dare leave the ship. Ignoring the heated glare Jim was aiming at him, Silver tugged the brim of his hat lower and followed the hulking alien, his men in tow.
note- sorry this took so long, im trying to get a better feel of this world. also sorry its so short, but don't worry, this story is still in progress.