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Splintered Light Epilogue

One of the most pivotal traits in any noble was an ability to adapt. Whether on the battlefield, at a meeting table-- or on the shoreline of an unexplored island. While Lee Sento had specifically rejected the vast majority of responsibilities heaped upon the first born son of a nobleman, he had not forgotten the teachings and they served him well. Unlike many of the rest of the Wave Rider's crew, Lee maintained a stable frame of reference and didn't let the situation get to him. Assessing the conditions of their stay on the island and reacting accordingly would do the most good in any crisis and the Tanuki wasn't interested in dying on some unknown spit of land.

Thanks to the Captain's leadership and the support of the rest of his vassals (they were called 'officers' in the mainland tongue) the crew spent more time staying busy than dragging their feet. There was an overall sense of patient discontent, which, in Lee's mind was far better than hopelessness or giving up. The fact of the matter was that the Wave Rider was beached on the island out of the reach of the abominations dwelling beneath the waves; running aground had done far less damage than the fight with the gigantic ika. The Tanuki paused in his random musings and he turned to glance to Mr. Chen; he had the weapon crafter had been moving boxes for the entire morning. "What is the word for 'ika' in their language?"

The Cat didn't even miss a step before responding in Jiuyani, except for the requested word. "It is 'squid', my Lord."

Lee nodded, and changed the subject. "What have you learned about the Elk?"

There were eight survivors from the Into the Unknown and one of them, the man in charge, was a long furred Elk. He was far different than the Elks from the Jiuyani Isles, not just in his mannerisms and bearing, but his very body was more massive, fuller, and possessed of larger antlers. All in all, Lee did not like him-- especially the way he looked at Mr. Chen. The Tanuki dared not get involved in power struggles, especially not when he had self exiled himself, but he was not about to let some daimyo claim his servant. The Elk had not been the captain of his ship, but with the passing of the Into the Unknown's Lord it was the long-furred Elk Hans Meier who had taken control of their small remaining force.

Mr. Chen had been speaking for quite some time before the Tankuki's attention focused outwardly onto what the Cat had to say. "...and our Captain trusts him, my Lord. Few men could keep so many alive for so many months."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Eight out of almost seventy? Perhaps if the island were not so habitable I would agree."

The armorer lowered his head. "Yes, my Lord."

The Tanuki set down the final box being moved to the Wave Rider's base camp and turned to regard Mr. Chen. "I want you to avoid Hans Meier. You are to treat him indifferently. Do not be rude, but do not be inviting."

The Cat bowed deeper. "Yes, my Lord."

* * * * * *

Despite the mixed opinion of the crewmen from The Wave Rider, Pierre, for one, was happy to have the eight survivors from the Into the Unknown with them. In addition to new faces to see there were eight new customers to serve... until it was discovered that they had little worth trading, but the ever-entrepreneurial merchant was not about to give up on them-- no, he was dedicated to doing business with anyone interested in his wares... and after several months on an island, all eight were interested in what he had to offer.

He was the kind of man who greatly enjoyed meeting new people, and the eight castaways were new indeed. Seven of the eight spoke Wyranese as a primary language, which was fine for the merchant, who spoke it fluently. The eighth, a mechanic from the ship's engine room was a Lehsunian native who, thankfully, also spoke both Wyranese and Pierre's native Trevossian tongue; it was quite a joy to get to know them all-- especially over the business table with some haggling and negotiation. True, they didn't have money, but they'd managed to salvage most items of value from the Into the Unknown before abandoning it for the safety of shore, and Pierre never passed up a chance to do business, even if it was via bartering.

Whether it was due to his charisma, his natural charm, or the fact that he had a fine collection of creature comforts the men hadn't seen in months, he had a chance to get to know them well, and, as such, he grew much more comfortable around them. They were all fine, upstanding men, who, despite the trials and tribulations vested upon them by their time in the wilds, still managed to maintain civility, decorum, and manners. True, most of the crew from the Wave Rider still had their concerns about the newcomers, but Pierre had seen how well they'd acclimatized to the way Captain Alistair ran things and they were already a fine addition to camp. He chuckled to himself over his cup of tea as he thought back to day two of their stay on the island, when 'integration' had been discussed.

It hadn't been that long in the scheme of things; the Wave Rider crewmen had only been on the island for a total of four days, but the past two were spent with the castaways spending a lot of time with whatever officers weren't busy directing the building of the base camp. In Pierre's opinion it seemed almost silly to be creating a camp when everyone was perfectly capable of staying aboard the ship but, then again, it did make sense since there had to be open space for repairs aboard the Wave Rider. Truth be told, he also had to admit that it was quite nice to feel something beneath his feet other than lumber.

Setting up his pavilion had been an unpleasant prospect considering manual labor was not how he'd wanted to spend his time, but, therein was one of the great opportunities for him to bond with the newcomers. Pierre had spent the first two days ashore in his cabin aboard the Wave Rider. After the crewmen from the Into the Unknown were welcomed into the fold, the merchant's first round of barter with them had been in exchange for their services. Between the work they had no doubt done aboard their vessel and the time they'd spent on the island made them amenable to hard work and so the effort of preparing housing for Pierre was easy enough for them that it was an almost non-issue. Likewise, some of the spare sundries the Human had laying around was a perfectly fair trade for their effort.

Life on the uncharted island was not perfect, however, and Pierre had to admit that the prospect of waiting weeks for the Wave Rider to be fully repaired wasn't as desirable as being able to leave at a moment's notice, but the merchant was pragmatic, and knew he'd have to pick his battles. Fortunately, Captain Jacksoni was a smart Tiger and wasn't about to waste the time in useless inactivity. As of that morning, the officers of the Wave Rider had called upon the two surviving officers of the Into the Unknown and discussed a plan for exploring the island. It was an officers only meeting but Pierre knew about it because he'd offered to supply refreshments; the cost was well worth the information.

Approaching the island, the Wave Rider had 54 souls aboard, and, according to the final count by the officers they had lost 27 due to the squid attack on the ships. Originally the count had been 28, but one of the boarding crew, a Raccoon, had survived and had been receiving treatments from the Wave Rider's surgeon. The injuries, as Pierre had understood were severe and his chance for survival was minimal, but it had been a good arrangement for the merchant since he had many medical supplies that could benefit the injured crewman; he offered a 'reasonable' discount to Captain Jacksoni out of good faith, so everyone benefitted.

It was funny to think at how quickly things had changed for the Human; when the trip first started he was frustrated and displeased that the Captain had accepted a second quartermaster for the ship, but it turned out to be a non-issue. Mr. Richman was one of those rare 'bleeding heart' merchants who, at the first sign of adversity opens up his entire stores for use; the Corgi actually donated the vast majority of his goods to be used by the crew free of charge. It was a generous sentiment and a gracious move, and assuredly it would win the Dog plenty of goodwill, but goodwill didn't fill one's pocket. Pierre, on the other hand, was a businessman first and foremost; there would be plenty of time for philanthropy when he had more money than he could use in a lifetime.

In the intervening moments, Pierre would make the most of the situation and enjoy the journey. He had every intention of making good use of the time on the island and was looking forward to the Captain starting expeditions for exploring the surrounding area. It was frustrating that the survivors from the Into the Unknown were advising caution and prudence, especially since that went counterpoint to the Wave Rider's goal. Fortunately, Pierre had all faith in the Tiger to make the right decision and proceed with the objective. What he learned during the officer meeting, however, did give the merchant a moment's pause.

Despite how reserved and reluctant the survivors from the Into the Unknown were when it came to charting the island, they had apparently done a fair amount of exploration before their numbers had whittled down to eight. What started out as nearly thirty souls surviving the trip ashore was reduced to twenty after a few weeks, and then a dozen, and, as of only a few days prior to the Wave Rider's arrival, they were cut down to their present number. Despite how welcoming and pleasant the island appeared to be there were some hidden concerns-- and most of that, according to the Into the Unknown's Elk First Mate, was based on the northern side of the island.

Pierre was able to linger in the meeting long enough to hear portions of the discussion but he missed the entirety of it. Still, he was able to piece together just enough to understand that the survivors from the Into the Unknown had discovered the origin of the iron clad sea creatures... and it was apparently on the island! The thought of whomever or whatever was creating the strange amalgam of creature and construct sharing the same piece of land as the crew of the Wave Rider was both off-putting and exciting all at once. On one hand, Pierre thought that learning more about the odd process of making a living weapon could lead to incredible profit, the survivor in him suggested that he wanted to remain as far from such a manufacturing base as possible.

Regardless of his feelings on the matter, however, the merchant realized that he only had so much control of the situation. The Wave Rider had to be repaired and the thought of staying encamped for the entire duration would be in complete opposition to Alistair Jacksoni's modus operandi, so that meant the Human would need to know the best way to make the most of the situation. Fortunately for Pierre, that was one of his specialties.

* * * * * *

The officers of both ships spent over a day in meetings; Ash-Moon had never very much enjoyed meetings... especially those that lasted hours and hours. With the Captain considering Viktor to be an Officer, that made a total of eight representatives from the Wave Rider; as many total survivors from the Into the Unknown-- of which, only two were officers. The ten officers spent a long time getting to known one another since Alistair wanted them to be able to work together and ultimately join the Wave Rider in leaving the island. Ash-Moon was of a mind that whatever his Rohn wanted, the Tiger would get.

The Into the Unknown's first mate, Hans Meier reminded Ash-Moon of the Yew Tribe, who were all cervids, but there were some drastic differences as well. The vast majority of Yew Tribesmen were well built, healthy, and athletic, but they rarely exceeded Ash-Moon's height; Hans, on the other paw, was easily a head taller than the Jackal-- and that didn't include his impressive rack of antlers. In addition, the Into the Unknown's first mate was of a much more stalwart build than the much smaller cervids of the Yew Tribe. Finally, and probably the most striking difference was that the man had fur nearly as shaggy as the Wave Rider's cook.

While his appearance was an oddity, the real problem Ash-Moon had with the Elk was his eyes; not only were they attentive, but they were attentive in all the wrong ways. It was humorous to see the Into the Unknown's first mate make the Wave Rider's armorer uncomfortable with an intent stare but it was something else completely when that gaze was focused on Captain Jacksoni. Among the Tribesmen, the Yew Tribe were some of the most free with their sexuality, especially during certain times of the year, and Ash-Moon wasn't about to see his Rohn become the object of the man's lust.

The Jackal knew that most Stone Tribe did not often look to their own sex for physical intimacy, but the Elk had that sense about him-- the one that suggested that he was more than happy enough to get it anywhere he could. Ash-Moon knew that look well, and he had no doubt that Hans would jump at the opportunity to be with the Captain of the Wave Rider. He was not about to allow it, and so he kept his attention on the Elk until he was reassured that the man wouldn't be a problem; it took most of their meeting hours.

Fortunately, the vast majority of Hans' attention was focused on either Tobias Severna or Christine Brownell; they were usually so close together it was hard to be certain which held the Elk's interest... unless it was both. Ash-Moon's concern over the Elk decreased further when he discovered that apparently the Wave Rider's passenger Lady Emma von Kriedeburg also knew the first mate, and the man knew her. The Jackal found himself smirking a lot once he saw that Karl Jak was also not well disposed toward the Elk when the shaggy-furred first mate's attention focused on the young woman. Yes-- Hans Meier was a divisive presence, but he fortunately knew his place and tried nothing.

The only other surviving officer from the Into the Unknown was Gunter Wagner, a black-furred Ox, and he was much less of a problem. Unlike the first mate, Gunter seemed more inclined to keep to himself; he was introspective, respectful, and quiet. The man's fur was very short, but coarse and thick enough that it didn't reveal any skin beneath. The one exception was around his muzzle, which was so incredibly long and bushy that the Jackal would have sworn that the man must have had some Human in his lineage for how closely it resembled a beard. Added to that were two very small horns that looked more suited for a calf than a full grown man and it was no wonder he didn't seem to carry the same respect as the first mate.

Despite being a nobody when it came to presence and voice, the man was surprisingly well received by the six crewmen who had survived their time on the island. Granted, Hans didn't give Gunter a second thought but Ash-Moon saw it readily enough that the sailors from the Into the Unknown paid more attention to the Ox than the Elk, and all orders from Hans had to be repeated by the ruined ship's Foreman. The Jackal didn't know whether that was because the men had lost faith in the Elk or simply had more of a liking for the Ox, but he realized that affinity could be used to his advantage if he needed leverage.

The other thing Ash-Moon appreciated about Gunter was that the Ox was very quick to change his views to match those of the Wave Rider. During the (too long) meeting it was readily apparent that the Foreman from the Into the Unknown meant to align with the crew of the ship that stood a chance of sailing off the island. While Hans wasn't above acknowledging Captain Jacksoni as the man in charge, he did provide some push back and most of the arguments about how to proceed as a single group came from the Elk. Even Gunter's constant suggestions otherwise did little more than placate the Into the Unknown's first mate for a short time until he came up with something else over which to argue.

In Ash-Moon's mind, both men were more expendable than any of the Wave Rider's own crew, although Gunter's ability to influence and guide the six other crewmen from the Into the Unknown did mean that he had his uses. By the time their incredibly lengthy meeting session came to an end the Jackal was willing to accept Captain Jacksoni's opinion that they be allowed to share the same camp on the condition that all of the Into the Unknown's remaining supplies, armaments, and crew were reassigned to the Wave Rider. Hans agreed on the condition that he maintain an officer's rank; even if he didn't have a commission or title aboard the Wave Rider he demanded a say in what become of his crew.

Once the specifics were hashed out (and the Captain agreed to what Ash-Moon considered to be an unreasonable request), the remaining crew from the Into the Unknown assimilated into those from the Wave Rider. The duties of trained seamen and the command structure from ship to ship were more or less universal and so they had a common ground on which to integrate, but the fact that most of the sailors from the Into the Unknown spoke only Wyranese did make communication difficult. Regardless, both sides worked hard on the base camp and the fortifications to help protect it and the Wave Rider.

The crew were broken into work details, some heading to the tree line to cut timber while others focused on building a makeshift wall to protect them from wild animals. According to the survivors from the Into the Unknown the worst of the predators in the area had been dealt with weeks prior but the Wave Rider's man-at-arms was inflexible in his demand for fortifications, and the Lynx always got his way. From there they also started preparing wood for repairs to the ship and started making plans on forays out into the wilderness. Once discussions got to that point the first mate and foreman from the Into the Unknown finally proved to be of some use.

The minimal exploration done by the survivors at least provided the Wave Rider with a good place to start. The shape of the island was similar to a clover with three distinct 'leaves' pointing northward, southeast, and southwest; the cove they inhabited was on the southeastern side. Once and only once, during the lengthy officer meeting did Hans speak on the topic of the metal-armored sea creatures, and that they'd tracked their origination to a strange structure on the northern 'leaf' of the island that, to them, appeared reminiscent of a highly advanced UPU building. Beyond that, they had little more information to present.

By that time Alistair had considered a plan for charting the island and he presented it to the crew the following day. Half of the crew would remain at the base camp, forage supplies, work on repairing the Wave Rider, and care for the infirm and the remaining half would venture out into the island's interior. Later, once the first 'leaf' was mapped, the exploration group would split again and two groups, each consisting of a quarter of the crew would travel out to each remaining 'leaf' of the clover-shaped island. While many crewmen had thoughts, critiques, and input to provide the Tiger announced that his decision was final.

Rather than object, Ash-Moon made a declaration once the announcement was complete and everyone headed off to tend to their own activities for the day. The Jackal was straight and to the point. "I will travel with you, Rohn. We will explore this land together."

Captain Jacksoni's smile revealed everything before the Tiger's words were spoken; they were going separate ways. "You are one of the few men I can trust to stay with the camp, my friend. I need you seeing to things here."

The tribesman knew better than to argue, but he wasn't ready to give up on seeing to his Captain's safety, or risk Hans causing issues with his benefactor. "I understand, Rohn. Perhaps you can leave Hans the Elk here with me... two first mates can accomplish more here together than separately."

Alistair's smirk suggested that the Tiger knew more than his response suggested; his Rohn knew him too well. "We shall see, my friend."