The Leader Ship

Chapter 10: The Pirate

The next day, all were pleased with their progress, and they could almost see their destination. As she watched passing ships and marveled at their individual grace in motion, she noticed another tall ship just off her port rear quarter, slowly gaining on her. She saw its crew moving similarly to her own and its flag snapping in the wind. She saw the captain in the wheelhouse, wearing a golden jacket and golden hat. He looked splendid.

She looked back at her Captain, who was reading his charts. Her crew was busy at their tasks. Things were going well, and she felt comfortable. After all, it was not impossible or unusual that two ships would sail the same course.

A sudden movement caught the corner of her eye, and she turned to look again at the nearby ship. She saw a flurry of activity all across it. The crew had moved suddenly along its starboard rails, and she gasped. At the top of the center mast was a black flag with a skull and crossed swords. She looked again at the crew and saw weapons in their hands.

“Something is wrong,” she cried.

The sound of her voice made the captain look up quickly, and without hesitation he shouted, “Pirates! All hands to arms, port side! To arms! To arms!”

At that second the ship’s bell rang and her crew exploded into action she had never seen before. They immediately stopped what they were doing and left the equipment where it fell. Lockers were opened and weapons were handed out. Her crew mustered along the port side, preparing for battle. She felt her crew ready itself for combat. The ship’s bell continued to ring.

Then she saw him.

He stood tall and dangerous atop the first deck, dressed all in gold, with a rope in one hand and a pistol in the other. In his teeth was a dagger, and at his hip was a cutlass. He looked at her insidiously, and his dark eyes caressed her from stem to stern, appraising her and coveting her value. She shuddered as she felt his jealous gaze upon her.

She could see the pirates spinning ropes and hooks as they threatened and cursed. They began throwing those hooks over her railings where they landed with a malignant thud and bit into her wood. Each one felt like a painful stab. The pirate ship took the ropes and looped them around their bitts, and they pulled her closer until they rubbed alongside, scraping paint and splintering wood.

“Here they come!” the Captain shouted.

The pirates leapt onboard. It felt like a personal invasion, as though her private place in the world had been stained by evil intent. She lost her sense of security. She lost her innocence. The pirates attacked and hacked away at everything they could reach, to destroy her. She felt each and every blow.

She was afraid. More afraid for her life than she ever had been before. Her fear threatened to overwhelm her, and she despaired that she had lost her dreams. She feared for her very life. She wished she were back at her dock, that she had never left port at all.

She also felt betrayed. She felt violated. She felt angry. She looked desperately for her Captain and found him.

He and the golden pirate were fighting alone, just outside her wheelhouse. The golden pirate struck the Captain. She screamed as he toppled backward. The golden pirate smiled as he slowly raised his cutlass into the air, savoring the fatal blow to come. Victory was his.

As he did so, the Captain sprang forward quickly, and before the golden pirate could react, the Captain had set a dagger against his throat. The golden pirate gasped in surprise and dropped his sword.

“I yield,” he said slowly and reluctantly as he lowered his gaze to the deck.

At this, the pirate crew did the same. They stopped fighting and dropped their weapons. She and her crew let out a great cheer as they bound the golden pirate with his crew. Once satisfied, the Captain returned to her wheelhouse, rubbing her gently along the way just as her Architect had done so long ago.

“Are we safe? Is it over?” she asked anxiously.

“Yes, my Lady, it is over.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, “how did this happen?”

“He tricked us,” the Captain replied sorrowfully.

She could not believe it. She was furious.

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he wanted what you have.”

“Why would he want what I have? He had his own ship and his own crew. He could sail anywhere he wanted, follow his own course, and have whatever he desired.”

“He thought he could take it from you. To him, it was easier to steal from another than to work hard for it.”

She looked over at the golden pirate. He looked at her briefly and averted his eyes in shame.

“He doesn’t look scary. He doesn’t even look like a pirate.”

“They often don’t. Sometimes those closest to us hurt us the most, and we never see them coming,” he said sadly.

“Now what do we do?” she asked.

“We will return him to his ship and notify the authorities.”

“What? Just like that? No! That’s not fair! He should be punished for what he did to me!”

“Rest assured, my Lady. He will be punished, but it is not our responsibility to punish him. Those in authority will mete out justice as they deem appropriate.”

“I want to make him pay,” she growled.

“My Lady, although it is very important to us that justice be served, it is not within our power to do so. We must let it go.”

“I want him to pay,” she replied harshly but less insistently.

“Dear Lady, you have your own course to sail, or in your righteous anger have you forgotten that already?” he asked gently.

She hesitated a moment, and his words sank in. She could feel her anger eating away at her like a cancer, wounding her soul and clouding her judgment. He was right. While she had the right to be upset about what he’d done, she did not have the ability to make him pay. Nor was it her place to judge and condemn. This was no way to live. This dark path led only to anger, bitterness, ill will, and hate. This led to death.

“I understand. I can only respond to the pirate’s attack within the scope of my ability. While I have been wronged, it is not my place to punish him. My place is to handle how I respond to being wronged. I must forgive for my own sake and trust that justice will be served.”

She took a deep, deep breath and let it all go.

He nodded and said affectionately, “You do understand.”