Theo climbed over the side of the ship and dropped down into the awaiting boat. Morgana, Tuni, and Ava were all in her boat. Ava's expression was one that Theo knew all too well, she also knew the accompanying feelings. Ava was battling between nerves and excitement and her stomach was most likely flipping around. She was spinning her dagger in her hand and tapping her foot against the wooden boat.

"Red, you'll be okay," Morgana reassured her, "If anything goes sideways just remember what I taught you."

Ava pointed to different places on her body, "Side of the neck, base of the neck, liver, armpit."

"Exactly, you're a natural killer," Morgana said.

Theo laughed at that, "Let's try and avoid having to kill someone for as long as possible."

"It's not at the top of my list of things to do, don't worry," Ava said in response and put her dagger away.

The rest of the boat ride was spent in silence interrupted with short attempts at small talk by Tuni. No one was in the mood to talk though; Ava was too nervous, Theo was too focused, and Morgana's head seemed to be in the clouds. To Theo, it felt as if they were never going to get off but eventually their boat touched the sand. She grabbed the edge of the boat and hopped off into the knee-deep water. She touched the ground and took off running towards the cover of the trees. All of them, Ava and Tuni included, followed suit trying to get hidden as quickly as they could. The boats were starting to be rowed back as the vanguard slipped into the jungle.

The vanguard held a total of 25 women, 2 of which were not fighting. Morgana led the line as they trekked their way through the dense trees and vines. They were as quiet as they could be, cautiously stopping at any noise they heard. There were a lot of them and the risk of being caught was high if that was the case they had all been instructed to flee in a certain direction with a certain group. However, the need never arose. They carefully climbed through the difficult terrain for hours, taking short breaks to hydrate and rest.

Morgana held her hand up and everyone stopped. She turned to Theo and whispered, "I think this is as far as we should go. Want to go, scout, the camp?"

Theo agreed and Morgana signaled to Iona to let her know they would be leaving. Once the group was informed Theo and Morgana snuck through the brush. They walked for about ten minutes before finding the first signs of a camp. Theo spotted it first and quickly pulled Morgana behind a large tree. When they were sure no one was around they crept out from behind the tree and advanced further, trying to get a better look at what they were up against.

The military had cleared a large area in the jungle and set up tents and small wood cabins but besides that, not many strategic advantages were revealed to them. Theo scanned the camp and counted only around 10 men out and about between the tents, not an accurate reading. The visible soldiers were armed with swords but had no form of armor. Men were drinking despite there still being light outside and those she could see looked relaxed. They did not seem to be expecting an attack. There was no way to gauge how big the camp was or how best to attack them while keeping the element of surprise. Morgana shared Theo's concerns about that.

"We can't see shit. We'd be going in blind," Morgana whispered.

"We can't go further. We're just going to have to hope there's not more than 30 men," Theo replied.

"Our girls can take at least 40 men," Morgana bragged and Theo ignored her, opting to start walking back instead.

Once they had walked far enough that they could speak more clearly, Theo shared her thoughts.

"They aren't expecting us. You saw how they were dressed? Not a piece of armor in sight. We don't have an accurate map of the camp but we have night time and surprise on our side."

"Aye, what worries me is when we rush in there we have no idea how many we are up against," Morgana echoed back Theo's worries.

"Running in from the north of the camp alone isn't smart," Theo said.

Morgana was silent for a beat, walking and thinking, "I'll take some through the North, you take a group through the East of the camp and Iona can take a group through the West. Once the cannons go off they'll be running to the noise through the South of the camp."

"That could give us a slight advantage. Catch them from all sides. It works. I think we should get in position as soon as possible though. Sun is setting and those cannons will go off soon."

Theo's trust in Morgana's ability to lead the vanguard was only strengthened by Morgana's performance leading time and time again. Once they arrived at camp Morgana made quick work of grouping the women up and sending them to their wait out locations. Theo took the smallest group and headed east while Iona led her group west.

Morgana informed Ava and Tuni that they were going to start moving again. Tuni and Ava had both found relief from the walking by sitting on a tree root. Ava was exhausted but she wasn't going to admit it so when they were instructed to leave it took every ounce of willpower not to groan. Sweat was dripping down her back, her clothes sticking to her. The supplies Tuni needed were not heavy but halfway through the trek, they had turned into a pile of stones. They walked in silence, carefully watching out for spiderwebs and critters on the ground. Until they reached the location they needed to stay at to await the signal.

Morgana quietly shuffled through the women to come up in front of Tuni and take her hands, "Stay back, my love. Please, wait until the fight is over before you come help."

"I have a duty to heal my crew, Mor. I can't promise I won't come in before it's over," Tuni whispered back.

Morgana sighed and squeezed Tuni's hands and shook her head, "Please be careful."

Tuni slipped one of her hands out of Morgana's and brought it up to rest it on her cheek. Morgana closed the distance between her and her partner and kissed her. They shared a short moment before Morgana bid her farewell and made her way to the front of her group, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

-----------------------

There had been three close calls in the time that Theo had been waiting. It seemed that there were two guards on patrol that kept passing by on their rounds around camp. It had been close to five hours since they had been dropped off and the light from the sun was almost gone. Finally, they heard the cannons go off, Xyra had successfully attacked the ship. Or someone had attacked theirs, either way, it was time for her to charge. She drew her sword and gave the order to attack.

Men were running out of the tents and towards the beach with their swords drawn. With the soldier's backs turned to the rest of the camp, the pirates were in the prime position to launch their surprise attack. Theo instructed the archers to cover the fighters before charging forward into the fight. Some of the soldiers were running towards the beach and others had turned back around to protect the camp. As Theo advanced within the camp she caught sight of the other groups entering as well. So far it was all going to plan.

A soldier charged at her and she blocked his swing with her sword. She was aggressive in her movements, taking advantage of the lack of time the soldier had to prepare. With ease, she slashed her sword down against his in a way that knocked it out of his hand. She thrust her sword forward and buried it in his stomach. She kicked him off the sword and turned around to meet the next soldier's swing. She had a second to look around and they seemed to be handling it. Some of the soldiers running to the beach meant there were fewer soldiers left at the camp which let Theo's crew easily cut down the enemy.

A large man with an ax charged at Theo and she barely ducked out of the way of the first swing. The second swing was a little too close for comfort and she brought up her sword to block the third one. She swung her sword three times, just to be blocked by the stick of his ax every time. On the last block, he brought up the butt of his ax to whack Theo across the face. Theo felt the blood flood her mouth as she fell back onto the ground. She saw the man looming over her bringing the ax swinging down and she rolled out of the way. In the short second he struggled to get the ace dislodged from the ground, she brought her sword up and put it through his chest.

Ava was watching from the trees with Tuni. Ava could tell Tuni was just as anxious as she was watching the fighting go on. This time, it was much different to watch then back at the brothel. She was entranced with the way the women were fighting, they looked and moved like the elite soldiers she would watch train in the gardens at her house. Except where the training ended with a meal in the kitchen, this ended with blood and a body. She expected herself to be more repulsed with watching death happen in front of her but she was handling it well. She was equally split between stress, sadness for the lives that were being lost, and admiration for the skill the pirates had.

Through the fighting, she managed to catch sight of Theo driving her sword up into a large man wielding an ax and she wanted to yell at her to hurry up and get back on her feet. Ava lost her focus on Theo when she saw Morgana swinging her morningstar just in front of them. As Morgana's weapon connected with someone's head, sending them hurtling to the ground another soldier ran up to her and drove their dagger into her side. She yelled in pain as he removed it from her side and she dropped her morningstar. He punched Morgana and she fell to the ground, out like a light.

Tuni let out a blood-curdling scream and ran forward to Morgana. She reached for her belt and pulled a dagger from her side. As if she was born doing it, she threw the dagger and it found its home in the soldier's throat. Once she made it to Morgana's side, she dropped to her knees and began searching through her medicine bag.

Ava didn't know what to do, should she force Tuni to come back? Should she go try and help? With Tuni not paying attention to her surroundings, a soldier was able to catch them by surprise. He grabbed Morgana's weapon and threw it far away. She stood there frozen as she watched the soldier run up behind Tuni and place the handle of his ax against her throat, choking her. Morgana, who was still passed out, was of no help and Ava realized she was the only one that could help Tuni.

Side of the neck, base of the neck, liver, armpit, she remembered. But, none of those were available to her. She was panicking and Tuni was losing time. She was going to have to go for his back. She pulled her dagger out and clutched it in her hand, she snuck around until she was behind him then she brought up the dagger and plunged it down into his back. The man yelled and let go of Tuni. Ava used both hands to pull it out, remembering Oceane telling her that pulling it out was needed but, also very hard. She was not wrong, Ava did not expect that much resistance coming out. The soldier swiveled around and swung at Ava but she ducked and brought the butt of her dagger up to his nose, mimicking an exercise she had done with Morgana. His arms came up to his nose and she took the opportunity to kick him as hard as she could in the groin, bringing him to his knees.

"Ava, you have to finish it!" Tuni tried to get out as she was regaining her breath as the man started to get back up and Ava tried to remember what she was taught.

She ran up behind him and pulled back his head and stabbed her knife into the side of his neck. She looked away as the knife broke the skin and she felt bile rise as her hands went warm where the blood was flowing out onto it. She let go of the knife still lodged in the man's neck and he fell to the ground. Some women were left fighting but, as the number of men left alive swindled, others ran towards the beach.

Tuni, having regained her breath, pushed past the pain in her throat and yelled at the nearest woman. She beckoned them over and commanded them to stay watch.

"Ava!" Tuni yelled, "I need you! Your bag!"

Ava snapped out of her trance and dropped to her knees next to Tuni. She opened her bag and handed it to Tuni who handed her a stack of cloth. Tuni carefully rolled up Morgana onto her side and lifted her shirt to expose the bleeding wound. Tuni instructed Ava to use the cloth to put pressure against the wound and Ava obeyed. Her hands shook and her heart could not stop beating out of her chest but, she was going to do her best to help Morgana. Ava spared a glance over at Tuni who looked calm, the opposite of what Ava would be feeling if her partner passed out in front of her.

Tuni pulled a bottle of alcohol out from her bag and made Ava lift the cloth. She poured it over the wound to disinfect it and she pulled leaves out from the bag as well. Ava peeked around to see that the fighting had stopped and there were but a few stragglers left alive that the women were rounding up. Bodies were littering the floor and Ava felt sick, whatever fascination she felt before she no longer felt. She looked back at the task at hand when Tuni instructed her to remove the cloth. The wound had stopped bleeding and Tuni began to lay the leaves over the wound.

Ava couldn't stand to see the open wound any longer and she looked away. At the south of the camp, she saw Theo walking back from the beach where she assumed Theo had chased down those who ran away. Theo was taking stock of the aftermath of the fight and she locked eyes on Tuni, Ava, and Morgana. Theo began jogging over trying to see what was going on and when she realized what had happened she broke into a full sprint.

"Morgana!" Theo shouted as she ran towards them. She fell to her knees next to them and the panic was clear on her face, "Tuni, talk to me. What's wrong with her?!"

"For now, she'll be okay. We have to make sure it doesn't get infected. She was hit on the head and has been out for more than a few minutes," Tuni recited in a calm clinical voice, "Are there more that are injured?"

"Aye."

"Okay, Ava I need you to keep laying these leaves on like I was doing okay? And when it looks all covered you're going to need to bandage it tightly," Tuni instructed.

Ava took the leaves from Tuni and began to do what was asked of her. Theo, who was still kneeling next to her, noticed the blood on Ava's hands. Looking around she realized that it didn't belong to Morgana but the man with Ava's dagger in his neck. She had just killed someone for the first time. Theo put a hand over Ava's to stop her and Ava looked up.

"I will find someone else to do this. I think you should go back to the ship," Theo said gently.

Ava took Theo's hand off of her own and kept dressing the wound with the leaves, "I'm fine here. Tuni and Morgana need my help."

Theo would have argued but she knew that Ava was in shock. The first time she killed someone, it took her a whole sun for it to hit her. When it did she was inconsolable and she's sure Ava will be too. Ava wanted a distraction because without it she would have to face what she did. Theo looked down at Morgana and whispered a prayer in Aelizan for her before standing up and walking away. While Ava helped Morgana and Tuni helped the other wounded, Theo began to shout orders to coordinate the movement of the merchandise.

Some of the women were in charge of moving the bodies to somewhere where they couldn't be easily seen. Others were in charge of carrying the merchandise to the beach so it could be transported to the ship. Theo put herself to work and began helping her crew move heavy boxes to the beach. As she was walking back from the beach for more cargo Oceane stopped her.

"Theo!" She said as soon as she caught up to Theo, "Xyra's requested that whenever you were ready to head back to the ship to debrief."

"Thank you Oceane," Theo smiled at her, "How did you enjoy being the cannon girl?"

Oceane straightened up subconsciously, trying to impress Theo. Ever since the others had said this was a test, she had been on her best and brightest behavior, "I loved it. You were right about pulling me off the vanguard."

"I knew you'd have an eye for good shots," Theo patted her on the back then walked towards one of the boats rowing back to the ship.

She made conversation with the women on her ride back. They were all celebrating their win and talking about the different fights and encounters they had with the Baethean soldiers. Theo, for the short ride back, willed herself to stop thinking about what was ahead and to enjoy the moment and she did. She rejoiced in the victory with the small number of people around her as they broke out into a silly pirate song. Once they got to the ship, she did her part to help unload the cargo before climbing aboard.

Theo spotted Xyra at the helm and she climbed to stairs to get there. She was speaking with Navi and Theo cleared her throat to announce her presence. Xyra turned around and broke out into a huge smile of relief at seeing Theo alive and well.

"Seems like we did it," Theo said.

"Seems like we did," Xyra laughed and stepped forward to wrap Theo up in a hug.

Theo hugged back tightly then pulled away, "How'd it go here?"

"Not a scratch on your ship and all thanks to me," Navi said and bowed. She had managed to get the boat closer to the island than Theo thought was possible which was an impressive feat.

"The other ship didn't seem to have anyone on it. It went down pretty easily. No one on our side was hurt," Xyra followed up.

"Better news than down there. We lost Moira and Morgana's down for now. Tuni says she'll be okay but we have to wait and see," Theo said solemnly.

Navi and Xyra both looked concerned at the news of Morgana. There was nothing any of them could do except pray to whatever gods they believed in and hope Tuni could keep any infection away.

"Do you know what happened?" Navi asked.

Theo crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the edge and shook her head, "With Morgana? No, but what I can tell it was pretty messy. One of the bodies had Ava's dagger still in it."

"Red?!" Navi was shocked, "She killed someone?"

"Either that or she gave her dagger to someone but I have a feeling that it was her own doing," Theo clarified.

"Fuck," Xyra stated plainly, "She's going to have a rough time with that one. And Moira?"

Theo closed her eyes and remembered seeing Moira dead on the beach, blood spilling out of the side of her mouth and her heart ached. Moira had a few sisters she took care of and sent money to. She was a fierce fighter and she had been with the crew for close to two lengths.

"Spear through the chest. It was out on the beach, during our second attack. She could've stayed back and been okay..." Theo lamented.

"It's not your fault," Navi consoled.

"I know. Xyra, make sure to send money to her family that covers expenses for the next length," Theo requested.

"Aye, next time we are at port I will arrange for that," Xyra agreed.

Theo dismissed herself and headed down to the storage room to check on Miss Yurwa. She was looking a little bit frazzled with the sudden rush of inventory coming into the mostly empty storeroom. Theo rushed to do her most to help, dictating what was coming in so Miss Yurwa could write it down without having to count or sort through it. She was down there for longer than she could keep track of. The lamp in the room had gone out twice though and that was indication enough that it had been hours.

Xyra showed up once the flow of goods had stopped, "Everything's been loaded onto the ship. There is a party currently being launched upstairs with some barrels of ale found on the island."

"I better get up there and make sure that ale isn't poisoned. I'm going to have to drink it to make sure. I sacrifice so much for the safety of this crew," Theo joked and walked out, Xyra following close behind.

True to Xyra's statement the women had made quick work of tapping into the ale barrels. Some of the women had instruments and were clumsily playing together and giving the deck a lively vibe. Theo wanted to get into the spirit of the festivities but she felt wrong about it. Morgana was hurt and unable to come out and celebrate with them and Moira would never be able to again. She decided to stay away from the party for a little bit longer.

Theo made her way over to the infirmary and walked inside. She found Tuni dressing wounds and a few of the girls on the beds. Morgana was on the first bed, sleeping, with Ava sitting on a chair next to her. Tuni rushed over when Theo walked in and Tuni threw her arms open at Theo. Theo walked forward and hugged Tuni tightly.

"How is your woman?" Theo asked, voice muffled by Tuni's neck.

"She was awake a little bit ago," Tuni said, pulling away, "Ava did a good job dressing her wound and now we just wait. In seven suns we'll know if she's passed the worst of it."

"She'll be okay," Theo said, "She's got a hard-ass head so I don't think she'll give in that easily."

"I know... I'm hopeful," Tuni said then looked over at Ava and back at Theo.

Theo understood what Tuni was trying to say. Ava was staring blankly at Morgana, worry etched on her face. She was focusing on Morgana to avoid handling whatever shock she was feeling.

Theo walked over to Ava and crouched down next to her. Theo placed a hand on Ava's knee, "Hey, let's get you out of here okay?"

"I don't want to go to my room," Ava quickly said, referencing the lower decks where her hammock was.

"We don't have to. There is a party going on outside. We could go to my room. We can sneak into Xyra's room and trash everything then blame it on another crew member," Theo teased and Ava cracked a smile.

"The party sounds fine," Ava said and Theo offered her a hand.

Ava took it and stood up, following Theo's lead. Outside, Ava saw the large group of women celebrating and drinking as they had been for the past several nights. Ava was met with cheers as she walked outside and all the women raised their glasses to her.

"A girl becomes a woman!" One woman shouted from a corner of the deck.

"To a woman's first kill!" Another one shouted.

"Here, here!" they all said and took a sip of their drinks.

Ava's blood ran cold. How had they all found out? She didn't say anything back, unable to speak or move. The fight between her and the soldier kept replaying in her head. The feeling of her dagger sinking into flesh. How he looked lying dead as she tended to Morgana, eyes open and knife protruding from his neck. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself but it wasn't working and every moment that went by felt like a rope was getting tied tighter around her neck.

She felt Theo's hand resting on her lower back as she tried to lead Ava forward.

"How about we go to my room?" Theo suggested but Ava just pushed back against her.

"No. I want to stay out here," Ava managed to get out.

Ava looked pale and unwell. Theo could sense that Ava was on the precipice of a breakdown, she had seen it with so many other women before. Theo couldn't force Ava to do anything she didn't want, that would have just made things worse. Instead, she looked around for a solution. The helm. Ava would be able to see out to the party but it was far away enough from the commotion that the constant noise wouldn't bother her.

"We'll stay out here then," Theo took Ava's hand into her own, "Follow me."

This time, Ava did. They walked hand in hand to the helm and sat down on the last stair before reaching the upper deck. Theo had grabbed Ava a large mug of ale on their way there and when Ava took a drink she didn't put it down until it was gone. Theo said nothing once Ava finished and neither did she. Theo didn't know what to say. Usually, she did, and she had done this whole consoling to others after they killed someone, far too many times to count. With Ava though, it felt harder.

"It'll be hard to face what you did but it's part of this process," Theo tested the waters, "how do you feel?"

"Numb," Ava answered, picking at her nails, trying to get whatever blood was under her fingernails out.

"Right..." Theo said awkwardly, unsure of how to continue.

"How do you do it? Kill people and be so okay after," Ava asked, looking up from her hands.

"Depends on who you ask. It's different for us all," Theo replied.

"I'm asking you."

"It's us versus them, at that moment. Kill or be killed. For me, it's gotten easier over the lengths to come to terms with it... As fucked up as that answer is, it gets easier," Theo said, a tad bit ashamed to be saying so.

"But this time it wasn't us versus them. We attacked their island without them provoking us first. It didn't have to be us versus them but it was. That man died because we needed something that they had," Ava admitted.

"Aye..." Theo conceded, "and to you, right now, the way we do it with ease might not make sense. But to these women, those soldiers are the enemy. They have always been. When those men enlisted in the Baethean army and set out to do it's bidding they became the enemy of every pirate here. It's still an us versus them, it's just different."

"How is that?"

"It's not us versus them in the sense that it is either our lives or theirs. It is pirates versus soldiers. It's the lower class against those with unearned positions of power. You've read enough books by now to understand the damage done by the authorities, our police, our military." Theo explained.

"Aye but that doesn't make it any easier," Ava said, pain evident in her tone.

"Not for you. You've only read about the horrors the military has engaged in, these women have lived it... For them, the death of an 'innocent' soldier is revenge for their deceased family member, their town that was destroyed, their life that was taken from then." Theo tried to reason.

Ava understood. She said nothing to indicate the fact, too caught up in her thought, but she understood. It made sense but it didn't help her to get any close to a solution to the burning hole she felt in her chest.

"Is that what it is for you? Revenge?"

"Aye, in part," Theo openly admitted, "I also do it for my crew. If one soldier's death means my women are better off in the world for it, then it is easier for me."

"Have you ever felt this way? Like you're drowning?" Ava asked.

"Yes, when I first started," Theo said.

"What did you do to make it go away?"

"I drank until I felt like I was floating and not drowning then I would cry in Xyra's arms," Theo confessed, "Although, I recommend the opposite procedure as to not encourage any bad habits from forming."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Ava said.

"What happened is a pretty good place to start," Theo offered. If Ava was going to start talking then Theo would be the best support she could be.

Ava did open up. She explained what happened, she was watching Theo fight then Morgana caught her attention. Morgana got knocked out and Tuni ran to help. Tuni got attacked and Ava had to act quickly and get the man off of her. She explained how she stabbed him and what it felt like when she realized he was dying. Hot tears spilled out of her eyes and her voice wavered, she was keeping herself from sobbing and Theo could tell.

"I saved Tuni and Morgana. I know I had to do what I did but I think what's hardest for me to get past is that I did it... I did it and I'm feeling things I've never felt before yet I'm not running for the hills. I'm not thinking about getting the hell off this ship or begging never to be put with the vanguard again. I want to stay and I know that means I will eventually have to kill more people..." Ava finished.

Theo was left without words to say. She didn't know how to respond to that but it seemed Ava didn't need anything to be said. She grabbed the mug she had finished earlier and got up.

"Thank you for the talk. I'm going to get blackout drunk now," Ava said and walked down the stairs and straight into the party.

----------------------------

Theo's night went uneventfully. She watched Ava throwback drink after drink and she felt sorry for how Ava would feel in the morning. Theo ended up turning into her cabin a bit earlier than she usually would the night after a raid but she had to be up the next morning early to set a course to sail. The exhaustion from the sun's events let her fall asleep fairly easily and she awoke to Navi entering her room the next morning.

By the time Theo had fully woken up and sat up in her bed Navi was sitting behind Theo's desk eating a piece of fruit they had brought back from the island. Theo groaned at the early intruder and fell back in her bed.

"If I had known it was your annoying ass I wouldn't have woken up," Theo put a pillow over her face.

"That is no way to talk to your best asset," Navi scoffed and took a bite of her fruit.

"Why is it so early!" Theo's screams were muffled by the pillow, "Why did last night take so long!"

"You're such a baby. Xyra and I stayed up going through the inventory all night and charting. In fact, I haven't slept yet. But here you are, sleeping away and doing no work," Navi sighed dramatically.

Theo removed the pillow from her face, "You stayed up all night with Xyra?"

"Hm. That was absolutely not the point of what I said though. We did the inventory and we have a course," Navi repeated.

"I heard you. She's my first mate and you're my navigator. I'm supposed to applaud you for doing your job?" Theo laughed and got up.

"Yes, please" Navi smiled at Theo and batted her eyes.

"Fine," Theo rolled her eyes playfully, "Thank you."

She walked over to Navi and planted a kiss on her forehead then stole her piece of fruit.

"Oi!" Navi shouted.

"Starving," Theo moaned around a mouthful of fruit.

"You're a dick," Navi said, "Now, I'm staying in your chair."

Theo shrugged and sat on the desk, "So, this inventory and chart you were talking about. Want to tell me about them?"

Navi unrolled a map and showed Theo where they had plotted a course to. Theo studied the map for a second then sighed exasperatedly.

"Why are we going to Niveal?" Theo asked.

"They voted on it last night," Navi laughed, "They were all pretty drunk."

"They're going to blow all their money," Theo complained.

"They just went on two risky missions in a row. One got them each a share of 500 gold pieces and the other has supplied the ship with cycles worth of supplies. Let's enjoy it. I'm sure they won't spend all of their gold pieces.'' Navi tried convincing her.

"I can name 9 people on this ship that would," Theo challenged.

"Fine," Navi conceded, "I'm sure only some of them will spend all their gold pieces."

Theo sighed and tried to hold back a smile, "I guess Niveal would be a good time."

Theo rolled up the map and handed it back to Navi. Niveal was a favorite among her crew and other degenerates like them. It was an island that was positioned between Dove Island and Efriti. Efriti has laid claim on it since the start of Baethos, claiming it was in their waters. The center approved this and ruled that Efriti would govern over it. However, as technology advanced and nautical tools improved it was discovered that Niveal was a few kilometers into Dove Island waters. So the island finds itself benefiting from a unique political and geographic situation.

Niveal is a lawless island that performs its lawlessness in full view of the government. There was an unspoken rule between the political powers involved, no one made a move on Niveal. The Center couldn't declare it a part of Dove Island because it would lead to a rebellion in Efriti. With continuous small scale rebellion already taking place all around Efriti, it only took a spark to ignite a fire that The Center wasn't sure it could control. Militias of any kind were banned in all continents but that didn't stop them from having covert underground groups that were sometimes hired by certain politicians to advance a political agenda. That meant that Dove Island could make no move on Niveal without Efriti retaliating. It also meant that Efriti could not step in and police without Dove Island feeling threatened and sending in their militias into Efriti and NiIveal to conduct terror campaigns. The Center couldn't step into police in case it was seen as overreaching and both Efriti and Dove Island would revolt.

Due to this ongoing crisis, Niveal had become a hub for illicit business and partying. Pirates, businessmen, young people in rich and high born families all come together in harmony on the island. There was gambling, a lack of rules on same-sex relationships, a bustling weapons and drug business, and a booming underground market for expensive stolen goods. It was a pirate's paradise, well, besides having to share all the glory with non-pirates. Theo was concerned that the money her crew worked hard to earn would be wasted on a few drunken nights in Niveal. However, Navi was right. It was their money and they could spend it how they like. Plus, the crew had voted and she had promised.

"You're smiling. You're excited," Navi pointed out.

"So, what if I wanna spend my money and go wild for a few suns. I've been working very hard lately," Theo said.

"Are you expecting me to thank you for doing your job?" Navi mocked.

"Shut it. Is the updated inventory written in Aelizan? And you've burned the past log?" Theo asked.

Navi handed Theo the papers, "You asked as if Xyra's ever forgotten to stick to the rules."

Common was what most people read and wrote so Theo, Xyra, and Navi decided to begin recording all information that could be used when they were boarded in a language very few people spoke. Theo looked through the pages and her smile grew with every new one she read.

"We hit a gold mine. We've got medical equipment, ammunition, weapons, armor, food, ale, hardware, clothes," Theo listed.

"I'm aware, I was there when we wrote it," Navi said.

"Two successes in a row? I'm the king of the pirates and nobody can knock me down from my throne," Theo boasted.

From the open door, they heard a call from the crow's nest, "Three ships on the horizon!"

"You sure about that?" Navi asked as Theo bolted out the door.

She came to a stop at the base of the mast and looked up, "What do you see?!"

"Three large ships!" the spotter yelled down, "Too far to tell what they are."

Theo felt a lump form in her throat. She spun around quickly to try and find Xyra but couldn't find her out on the deck.

"Someone get Xyra!" She yelled and ran up to the helm, "Man your stations! We are setting course for Niveal a little early, girls!"

"Captain, they might be a merchant fleet. Or a noble family with coins aboard. We can lie in wait here and ambush them," Yori, one of her sailors suggested.

"If it's a fleet and they are carrying something that important we can't risk our ship against three fully armed ships," Theo replied.

"What if they aren't heavily armed?" Yori asked.

"Then whatever is on those ships is not worth anything. To your station, Yori," Theo said.

Xyra finally emerged onto the deck and ran up to the helm, "What is it?"

"Three ships on the horizon," Theo said and Xyra's face dropped.

Vaith.

Vaith was a member of the council of nobles that ran Baethos. Whenever a council member would travel, they would travel aboard a fleet made up of the biggest and most armed ships that had ever sailed the Baethian seas. The official name for the ships was called light-bringers and each council member never sailed with less than three at a time. What looked like big bountiful merchant ships to the crew were the deadliest naval ships known to man. They knew they had to get out there as quickly as possible before the ships were close enough to be identified. If the pirates found out any council member was this nearby they would call for their head.

"What are we waiting for?!" Xyra turned around to the crew on the deck, "The captain said to set a course for Niveal. Why isn't the anchor being lifted? Go, go, go!"

The crew jumped into action and soon enough the anchor had been lifted, the sails had unfurled and they were catching the wind. Once the island was far behind them and the sun was high in the air, she decided to leave the crew to it. She walked into her room but before she could lay in bed and just take a nice relaxing nap, she was interrupted once again. Navi and Cooker stood in her room with their arms crossed.

"What is it you know?" Cooker asked.

"What are you talking about?" Theo acted dumb.

"Three unidentified ships on the horizon and you don't even hesitate before giving the order we have to go. No waiting till they got closer or hiding, then trailing to see what they were up to. Nothing," Navi confronted her with the facts.

"Listen, I just wanted us to get on our way to Niveal after two successful missions. We need to enjoy it," Theo said, echoing what Navi had said before.

"Choose how you continue to answer these questions wisely, Captain, because I will not tolerate lying. Not between us. Not when you've promised to be honest with me, always," Cooker accused.

Xyra, who had walked into the room shortly after everyone else had, cleared her throat, "Theo... We need to tell them."

"Those ships are light-bringers," Theo confessed.

Navi was fuming and Cooker looked like she was about to pounce. If this was their reaction with barely any context, Theo wasn't looking forward to the rest.

"And please do tell, whose fucking light are they bringing?" Navi questioned.

Theo took a deep breath, "Lord Umbar Vaith."

"Turn this fucking ship around!" Navi yelled and rushed towards the door.

Xyra caught her and kept her from going outside, "Navi, please. Just listen."

Navi struggled against Xyra but Xyra didn't let up. After figuring out she was going to be forced to listen, she stopped fussing and opting to stew in silence. Xyra let go of Navi and went back to guarding the door, she didn't put it past Navi to rush the door again.

"Norhan had the lead... He had the lead and he didn't tell me about it. I had to find it out through Rob and Unil," Theo explained, starting at the beginning, "Which led me to think why he wouldn't share it with me."

"Cause men can't be trusted," Cooker retorted.

"Because he was afraid I would make a hot-headed decision and lead us all into a suicide mission. I knew if I told you all, the crew would put it up to a vote and we would have to pursue him. With no supplies and one ship, how far do you think we would have gotten?" Theo tried reasoning with them.

"You lied to us. You kept the biggest lead and the closest chance we've had to get Vaith a secret and failed to give us a say in your decision," Cooker restated.

"Yes. Yes, I did and I will never stop being sorry. It was killing me inside. You have to, believe me, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I thought about it long and hard," Theo explained.

"You didn't think it through because if you had, you wouldn't have kept this from us! From me!" Navi yelled, "On his orders, the military arrested or killed every man in our village. They took my father from me!"

Theo slammed her hand on the desk, "Vaith killed my entire family in cold blood! Right in front of my eyes, Navi! I know the pain that man has caused. It took everything in me not to go after him too. It killed me to not share this with you!"

"Bullshit!" Navi slammed her hands on the desk too, leaning it to be face to face with Theo.

"Enough!" Xyra exclaimed, "I won't sit here and listen to you act as if she's a villain and not someone who just made a mistake. I have watched her be in agony over this. She put her crew before herself. Put aside your anger for just one second and understand why we did it. This would have sent everyone to their deaths and for what? To not even get close to him. If we stick to the plan we've always had and build up a fleet, he can be defeated."

The tension could be cut with a knife. Navi and Theo were in a staredown, both leaning over the desk. Cooker looked between both of them and walked over to Navi. Cooker gently grabbed the back of Navi's arm and pulled her away. She leaned in and whispered something in Navi's ear to calm her down, Theo did not want to ask what it was.

Navi looked at Xyra then at Theo, "You need to come clean."

"I was always planning on telling them," Theo reiterated.

"Don't tell them until nightfall. That way it would be impossible to go back for Vaith," Navi advised before leaving.

Navi had seen their logic but she was still angry, and with good reason. Revenge for her father had been what drove her to join a pirate crew and eventually sail under Theo's flag. Having the man who took her father only a few hours away was probably killing her. In the end, Navi had done what Theo did and put aside the personal for the sake of the crew. Cooker stayed in the office, dead silent and unmoving.

"Cooker?" Theo tried.

"I would advise you to not speak while I'm trying to find the words to say to you right now," Cooker said in a strained voice.

They were still standing and they stood there for a while. Cooker opened her mouth to start something many times but nothing came out. Finally, she found out what she wanted to know.

"Why did you tell Xyra and not me?" Cooker asked.

Theo's heart ached at having to give that answer. Of everything that Cooker could have said, this was not what Theo was expecting and it hurt her even more than she thought it could. Xyra and Theo had met two lengths before they met Cooker and even though they had all been inseparable for 10 lengths, growing up Cooker felt alienated sometimes. The two lengths before Cooker came along had given Theo and Xyra a bond that Cooker could not match with either of them. Up until that point though, it had never been a problem. Xyra and Theo included Cooker in every decision they made. They shared every adventure, every high and every low up until now.

"Cooker... I don't know," Theo said.

"Well, think. Cause there is a fucking reason you spent over a cycle sitting on this information while Xyra knew and not me," Cooker was making this difficult.

"Because you would have wanted to tell the others," Xyra stepped in, "If Theo won't say it, I will."

"So my morality cost me a seat at the table?"

"It wasn't something that we actively discussed, Cooker. It was just unspoken," Theo tried.

"And now, I'm not even worth the discussion," Cooker scoffed.

"Cooker I am sorry," Theo pleaded. She wanted her to see her side. Cooker had every right to be mad but Theo wished the world was not like that and Cooker had to forgive her.

"I want to remind you, Theo, after I rejected a position on the ship's command and you asked me to still stay involved in the politics of it all and be an advisor to you, I asked only one thing. I wanted the transparency your first mate would get and you made that concession. If you would have told me about Vaith I would've helped you convince the girls that it wasn't in our best interest to attack. I would've convinced them to keep this under the radar and that you were right. Instead, because either you couldn't bother to think of me or because when you did you thought I was too moral to trust you dug yourselves a hole.

So before I leave, let's get this situation clear. I have fought by your side for ten lengths, I have advised you for four, I have been loyal to you and my duty to tell you what I think is right and wrong without a fault. A cycle ago, when you discovered life-changing information you chose to share it with Xyra and no one else, not even me, directly breaking your promise. To make matters worse, when confronted about it you lied twice. Twice. So when I say this it's not to Captain Theo, but to my friend. Fuck.You." Cooker finished, her cool tone not raising once during her whole speech.

She turned around and walked calmly to the door but Xyra was standing in her way, "Cooker..."

"Fuck you too, Xyra" Cooker scoffed and pushed past Xyra, "I'll see you both at the assembly after dinnertime.

Cooker walked out, slamming the room door behind her. Theo was left stunned, the iciness of Cooker's tone was chilling and Theo knew she had a lot of making up to do.

----------------------

The women in the kitchen during dinner were moaning and groaning about yet another assembly but they all made it out onto the deck after being rounded up. Theo stood on the upper deck with Xyra on her right-hand side, as always. Ava had been looking forward to the assembly ever since it was announced, it was going to be her first one not as a passenger and she was ready. Theo wasted no time in beginning her address, starting with a story about what happened in The Twins. Ava quickly realized that Theo was coming clean. The assembly was about the lead Theo had been upset about. The one she had been told about that night on the deck and asked to keep a secret.

"The lead let us know that there would be a councilman traveling these waters. Those were the ships you say earlier, three light-bringers," Theo explained and watched the reactions of confusion among the crew, "The ships were carrying Lord Vaith."

The suspense had been building and when Theo uttered the name, the crowd erupted in protest. Ava heard the crowd shoutout curses to his name, she heard them yelling the names of tragedies he and other councilmen were involved with. Theo let them all air out their waves of anger, taking all the words that were thrown at her. She began to explain to the crew why she kept this information from them but Ava was paying no attention anymore. She was still processing it all. The person Theo and her whole crew hated the most in the world was Umbar Vaith. She felt sick to her stomach.

She felt her vision start to close in and a panic began to rise in her chest. Between the emotions from the sun before and getting a ton of brick dropped on her at the assembly, she felt like she couldn't breathe. She just wanted to get out of the crowd, so she did. She began to squirm through the crowd until she was able to slip into the lower decks. She wanted to go to her room but she remembered she didn't even have one. She had a hammock with no privacy on a floor that would be flooded with gossiping people within minutes.

Ava figured the library was the best place and made a beeline for it. She shut the door behind her and sat in her chair, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The door opened after she got in and she was about to yell at the person to get out. Relief washed over her. If anyone would be able to help her, it was Cooker. Cooker had seen Ava in distress at the assembly and followed her to the library.

"Get me off this boat, please," Ava asked as soon as Cooker got in.

Cooker locked the door and found a seat, "You okay? Do you need to talk about it?"

Ava fiercely shook her head no, "You wouldn't understand it."

"Try me," Cooker tried persuading her.

"No. You wouldn't get it. You wouldn't be able to understand," Ava said, panic rising in her voice, "I'm trapped. I'm against a wall. I need to go."

"It'll be okay, Ava," Cooker said trying to calm her down.

"You don't know that," Ava said and began to fidget with her hands, "I killed someone and now I'm an actual criminal. I'm an outlaw now and I don't belong on this boat and now I've got nowhere else to go."

"You belong on this boat, Ava," Cooker said and walked over before crouching in front of Ava.

"I don't. I don't. You don't understand, I can't be on this ship anymore," Ava tried to get Cooker to see, "My family has done horrible things."

"My family has too but that doesn't define you. You had no say in their activities. You are reading every sun and hoping to make yourself better than they were. You don't have to pay for their crimes," Cooker tried.

"You don't understand," Ava repeated, like a robot.

"Ava. I do understand. I understand more than you know," Cooker tried to get through to Ava without having to speak the words but Ava wasn't getting it.

"I need to get off this boat! I am not safe here," Ava shouted, her frustration level getting higher as her panic began to rise.

"You are safe. I won't let anything happen to you," Cooker promised.

"Stop! You can't promise anything! You don't know what I'm talking about," Ava yelled.

"I know exactly what you're talking about! Get the hint, Ava," Cooker shouted back.

"What do you mean?" Ava said, lower tone now but the panic was still present.

"My name is Carrie Cooker," she said, "I know who you are."

Ava's mouth dropped open and she felt about three seconds from passing out. Her ears started to ring, there was no way she had heard that correctly. Cooker put her hand on Ava's shoulder but the silence in the room was pertinent. Ava was shocked, her head was empty. Her head couldn't battle the confusion and fear she felt at that moment. Cooker had the feeling that Ava was not going to begin talking anytime soon so she filled the space.

"You are Lord Umbar Vaith's youngest daughter. Your name is Avery Vaith."