TRAVIS

Travis glanced around his room but couldn't shake the emptiness feeling. The room was simple and contained the decorations in his quarters aboard Paragon, but he couldn't decide if he felt more at home. The rocking vessel was different from the stability of the white ship.

His sea chest held money, some books, and a few other things he had bought over time, such as a whittling knife. He also had a letter with much of the same contents as Marin's. He kept it in his pocket, as it was the only way to communicate with his team.

He knew he should be sleeping so he could take over the night watch. But he couldn't sleep. His mind still reeled from the event, unable to comprehend anything outside of the one memory. Over and over in his head, he saw Paragon collide with the dark ship and sink beneath the waves. Despite the dark rain, the mental image was clear as spring water. It haunted his attempts to sleep.

"I should have been able to do something!" Travis sighed, stood from his hammock, then paced the perimeter of the tiny room.

He opened one of the dresser drawers and stared at the clothes Paragon had carefully placed there, then closed it loudly. It just reminded him of the white ship.

With a sigh, Travis returned to his chest and blindly grabbed a book, then laid in the hammock and opened it to the first entry.

"Ship log: 9 Spring, 792 Cycle, Unknown Island, Zona Ocean."

"That's over a hundred years ago..." Travis blinked in surprise. "This is a ship log." He mumbled to himself as he continued to read.

"I thank Lihania and the makers of dreams for this wonderful gift. It has been many cycles since I shipwrecked on that tiny islands. Now, I can return to my life on the ocean.

It is nice to be back on a ship. Though the memories of my lost crewmates fill my heart with sorrow, I will continue to sail in their honor as long as I am able. I feel that is proper reverence for their time on the sea. The water can give and remove livelihoods as fickly as people.

May stars guide us,

Starport"

Travis froze, stunned. "Captain Starport's log," the human blinked as he stared at the pages. After a moment to recover, he skimmed through some of the early entries.

"Ship's log: 14 Spring, 792 Cycle, North of Lacuna

The skies turned dark this morning, and I learned the meaning behind the map's black pin. It's the mark of the vile pirate ship. I wanted to take them on and get vengeance for the loss of my crew and family. I desired to fight them head-on, make sure they could never sour the sea with their presence again. With an invincible ship blessed by Lihania, I knew we could end the dark ship's reign of terror.

But Paragon, the poor young soul, was scared.

Perhaps I was too brash and took too many risks. I will admit I was shaking in my timbers just as much as the ship when a cannonball sailed clear through the mast with a perfectly circular hole. I did not believe it was possible, and we made a hasty escape.

Eventually spoke to Light. Those darned pirates are shadier than I thought. Darhania gave their ship the same gifts Libania gave Paragon. They didn't need it, but now they are even more of a scourge of the sea.

For now, it would be best to get Paragon experience. She's fully capable of sailing herself and is knowledgeable about the ways of the water and wind. She's a wonderful ship, the finest on the sea. However, she is a greenhorn in her capabilities for trading and handling pirates. One day, we will fight those pirates and win. Their days as a scourge on the sea are numbered.

Starport"

Travis frowned as he scanned through the aged pages of the thick tome, then noticed the writing change and stopped.

"Ship's Log, 57 Winter, 804 Cycle, West of Gracia

The stars have a new star tonight.

I'm alone. I can't get the flash of silver and splash of blood out of my mind.

I failed him.

We should not have tried to fight the pirates. We thought we were ready.

We were wrong.

I was wrong. This is all my fault.

I know he thought we could do it, but I failed.

His memories are filling my head with things I don't understand. War. Love. Family. Loss. Loneliness. Friends. I can barely contain it all.

I called Light, but he has yet to come. Despite his power and attachment to Lihania, he is still one person. I know he will come in due time.

I feel so alone.

Captain, please, be my guiding star.

Paragon"

Travis sat in silence and slowly flipped the page.

"Ship's Log, 58 Winter, 804 Cycle, south of Addur

I feel so alone like my sanity is slipping away. There's no one here, but sometimes I imagine his presence in the kiss of wind on my ropes and the taps of drizzling rain.

I don't know how long I can last.

Light came today and assured me I can find another captain. He also promised that I would be able to sense those that have the potential to be good captains, but I don't know if I'll ever find someone as good as him. He said there are people out there that would be willing to be my captain, I just have to find them.

It could take some time, but it's possible.

Paragon"

Travis continued to read, frowning as he noted Paragon becoming more and more unstable in her writings. Her handwriting occasionally dissolved into scribbles. Sometimes days were missing between entries when previously they had been consistently recorded daily. Several pages were filled with "not one" and "not the one." A few entries recorded full sentences though lacked a date. These varied from meeting Horizon and taking refugees to Draconia, to people attacking the figurehead.

"Ship's Log, 73 Spring, 916 Cycle, Zone Ocean

The human I met yesterday, Travis, accepted my offer! I am giddy with excitement. I did use my mist to remove the memories of the people from the shipyard. Travis would have been among them, but he caught me before I left. It has been so long since I had a captain! It will be so nice to have one again. I can go trading again! I am excited about what this new season can bring.

Paragon"

Travis blinked and flipped through the pages and scanned over the daily entries. They covered everything, from meeting Myrllen to Paragon simply noting how happy she was, and the human read through them with a sad smile. Finally, he reached the last entry.

"Ship's Log, 14 Fall, Cycle 916, West of Gracia.

This may be my last entry, but there is something I must do. I think I am ready. I do not know if I will survive, or what will happen to me as an animated construct. Will I disappear? Will I become a star? Or will I just be in limbo until someone carves a new construct for me to live as in the stead of this one?

There's no time to ask. Starport died fighting the dark ship. I am ready to fulfill his mission to end their reign.

I hope my crew will understand. I am just glad I have assured their safety.

Paragon"

Travis blinked, then put the book on his and stared at the ceiling. His mind swirled with each rock of the boat.

AUTHOR NOTES!

Do you like these shorter chapters of the crew reflecting?

I know I am biassed, but I am enjoying them. 

See you next week!