All The Stars to Sail

Chapter 5: Recovery and Repairs

The attack ended the lives of 15 of the Reprisal's crew, but as the crew of the attacking ship were almost entirely wiped out, it was agreed by the survivors that things could have ended worse. A prize crew was selected to deliver the captured vessel back to Port Montressor, and after several long days and nights of repairs the Legacy was able to move again under her own power. Much to Jane's surprise and delight, her quarters had escaped severe damage, and she was able to collapse into bed almost immediately upon returning there. She slept dreamlessly, and awoke to the sound of hammering, the occasional curse, and the unmistakable smell of tar. She wrinkled her nose and decided that, despite her torn blouse and stained dress, being up on deck was probably safer.

As she made her way along past the various members of the ship's crew busily working to repair the ship, she noticed a shift in their behavior towards her as well. Where before there might have been stares, there were now nods of respect and approval. Where once she might have been smirked at, she was now smiled at openly. She felt her spirits began to lift as she climbed up the stairs that lead to the main deck, and what she saw there caused her rising good mood to take a sudden drop. The main deck had been turned into an ad hoc hospital, with wounded men stretched out on sheets, torn pieces of sale, or whatever else could be scrounged from within the ship. Mr. Silver stood near the bow, his expression unusually severe, as he boiled cloth for bandages that were collected by the cabin boys and delivered to the overworked ship's doctor who moved from patient to patient, spending several minutes at each one.

Jane looked up as a looming shadow fell across her and saw Mr. Arrow standing just behind her; he tipped his hat to her and looked out at the sight before them. "It could have been much worse, Ms. Porter, unlikely as it appears now." Jane sighed and nodded. "I suppose it could have been, Mr. Arrow...but I would have rather it not happened at all. Is there any help I could give?" The large man laid a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I'd say you've helped plenty as it is, Ms. Porter, but there's always more to do here. I do think the captain would like to see you first, though." Jane glanced up, surprised. "She's out of bed? So soon?" The large man chuckled and nodded. "Aye...she told me that she would have to be tied to her bed to keep her in it, and knowing the captain like I do I knew that was the end of the matter. Go on, now." Jane nodded, carefully moved around Arrow, and headed for the captain's cabin.

The person standing guard was not the usual guard; it was a woman of about 30, who looked as if she could hold off a bear with one hand. Jane hazarded a cautious smile. "Good day. I am, ah..." The woman nodded. "I know you, Miss Porter. One moment." The severe woman turned around and knocked on the door; Amelia's voice came back. "Yes?" The young woman raised her voice a few octaves. "Miss Porter is here, Captain." "Send her in!" The guard turned around, gripped the doorknob, and pushed the door open as she gave Jane a respectful nod. "You may enter." Jane nodded back, smiled, and passed through. As the door shut behind her Jane paused a moment to collect herself, then stepped forward and looked to the right toward where Amelia's desk stood.

Amelia was seated at it, bent low over some papers, and despite the tired look in her eyes she seemed almost totally unaffected by yesterday's events. It was only until Jane got close enough to look over the desk that she saw that the captain's blouse was rolled upward, exposing the fresh bandage placed there. Jane flicked her eyes away from it to look at the captain's head, which raised itself up slowly to meet Jane's eyes. The captain managed a smile and gestured with her right hand toward the seat already drawn up in front of the desk. "Good morning, Miss Porter. I was hoping you would stop by." Jane settled herself down in her chair, hoping that the pleased sensation she was feeling inside at these words wasn't showing itself on her face. "I wanted to come and see how you were doing; Mr. Arrow told me you were already out of bed." Amelia chuckled to herself, and Jane caught the brief flicker of pain that shot across the captain's face before it was quickly suppressed and replaced by a wry smile. "Ah, dear Mr. Arrow. Sometimes it seems that I have both a first mate and a nursemaid in one distressingly large package, but never mind. I was hoping you would come to see today, Miss Porter, because I wish to thank you properly."