Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Just for Clarity

AN: Sorry for an 8k chapter. If I split it, it would have been weird. Enjoy! 

They arrived in Jiomara and the last group of Alenroux refugees that had been staying on the ship had left and now their route could continue as planned. They were still on track to make their shipment deadline in Gossem but their window of error was minimal. One wrong calculation on Navi's part or some wind complication on behalf of nature and they would miss the deadline.

Ava learned all of the details of the rest of their trip the morning they left Jiomara. Xyra had decided to loop her into the happenings of the ship now that she to be quartermaster and Ava had caught her first glimpse into the never-ending sea of obstacles pirating entailed. Planning routes and making good time was not an easy task. Beyond that, Ava did not learn much from the first few suns being a quartermaster. She mainly spent it doing what she had normally been doing since leaving Alenroux but this time with Xyra by her side. She had already gotten the hang of it, training for the job beforehand without even knowing it.

They had been at sea for three suns after dropping the last of the refugees at Alenroux and they were now sailing towards Piril. It was their last stop before Gossem and Ava was very excited to be able to be on land again. It had been close to a cycle since they had been allowed to get down at any port. The trips were just used to send some refugees to the city of their choice and gather necessary supplies. The stops took no more than a few hours and all pirates were strictly prohibited from getting down unless it was their job. Piril was still around 8 suns away and it seemed like an eternity.

The time passed relatively quickly though because, on the third sun of their voyage to Piril, she got tasked with something very important. Xyra, Oceane, and Ava were in charge of training, acclimating, and settling in the new pirate recruits. Xyra spent her days teaching them the details of pirate life, the way things worked, and what to expect. Ava had been there for four cycles already but she still learned some new things every day too. The pirate proficiency exam, as Oceane had cheekily named it, was an easy simulation of a pirate raid. If the recruit in question could defend themselves and execute their job for the raid then they passed. She had known there was some sort of test but the details hadn't been revealed to her until that moment. Since there were upcoming raids planned, there would be no simulation; it would be the real deal. Nervewracking was an understatement.

The other recruits would not have time to complete their three-cycle trial as pirates prior to getting voted in before Corinspe but the inner circle had agreed to special rules for this round of recruiting. Instead of the test, confirmations, and then initiation ceremony whilst at Corinspe the new recruits would prove their usefulness during the raids, get evaluated during them, and skip confirmations. As potential quartermaster, it would be Ava's job to make sure all the women were at ease with the new recruits. Ava wouldn't be spared though, she had been there long enough to not qualify for the different process the truly new recruits would undergo. She had to do the raids and the election.

They formed a makeshift pirate school. Ava checking in with them throughout the suns, like the headmistress. Sometimes, she would stand at the back of Xyra's classes and learn new things. She didn't get the grand welcome they all got, there had been no class for her, so she decided to take advantage and learn what she could then. After their lectures from Xyra on finding a job and ship procedures, they headed off to be trained by Oceane. Ava escorted them from activity to activity, trying to keep energy and spirits up.

Some of the girls were enthusiastic and jumped into the pirate life head first, similarly to Ava. They were ready to put their tragedies behind them and work to exact revenge in their own ways. Others were reserved, they kept to themselves and rarely emerged from the lower decks. One of the quieter girls was Giorina. She had decided to stay on the ship, her grandfather being the only person she had and he was gone. She had mentioned to Ava one night that she hadn't felt safe by going by herself to any of the cities so this was her only option. Ava's heart hurt for her, Giorina didn't want to be a pirate, she simply had no other choice.