Chapter 1
It was a bad day, no two ways about it.
A horrible storm had come upon them out of nowhere, leaving the Homeland's entire crew scrambling to keep their ship safe. Their team of two Cartographers, Hall and McCabe, were trying their best to divert their course and find the nearest port to dock at.
Captain Daniel Sousa stood up at the ship's wheel, water dripping from his tricorn hat with his trusty cane slotted into its custom made holder at the helm, as he battled the currents and the thunderous crashes of the waves against his ship. After a brief career in the navy left him with half a leg missing and the knowledge of deep corruption throughout the higher-ups, he ran and bought a ship of his own. Homeland was relatively small but she was sturdy, built to withstand many a heavy beating on bulk supply runs. Even so, the lightning lighting up the sky and the booms of thunder were enough to put everyone on edge.
"Talk to me Rose!" Daniel bellowed down to his second in command as she stumbled out of the lower deck. "Where did this come from?"
First mate Roberts tilted her head up to him, hand raised in a feeble attempt at shielding her face from the rain. Her once curly red hair hang heavy with water around her face, swinging into her eyes with every step.
"Hell if I know Cap! I haven't seen a storm this bad in ages!"
"How didn't we see this coming," he muttered to himself, adjusting his grip the wheel. "Where's the nearest port?"
She wobbled up the stairs, clutching the railings as she went. "North west according to the guys, New Orleans. About a day's journey on calm waters but there's no way to tell with this storm."
"Louisiana, here we come I guess. Compass?"
Rose dug her compass out from her coat, holding it out so Daniel could redirect the ship. With a heave and small grunt of exertion, he had the ship pointing in the right direction.
"Rose, go tell everyone about the change of course," he ordered.
She didn't seem to notice the command as her eyes widened. "Is that Aloysius?"
It was. The ship's somewhat medic was stood dangerously close to the edge of the ship, twisting himself suddenly every few seconds.
"Samberly!" Daniel yelled over at him. "Samberly, get back inside!"
After a moment of inspection Daniel noticed that his coat had been hooked on something near ship's rail. Samberly's awkward contortions were from trying to dislodge himself.
"Oh, good lord." Daniel turned back to Rose. "On second thought, man the wheel. I'll be right back."
He made his way down the steps from the helm, slick from the downpour and over to his crew mate.
"Samberly, hold still!" Despite being mere feet away from him, Daniel still had to yell over the wind and pounding rain to be heard.
Carefully, he worked the coat off the rope hook it had been caught on. Samberly let loose a string of apologies and thanks, but Daniel cut him off.
"Samberly," Daniel said firmly. "Get below deck and stay there. You hear? Do not come back up here."
Samberly might have nodded his affirmations, or acknowledged the order verbally but his captain didn't stick around long enough to find out. Mere seconds later, the entire ship rocked with the force of the tallest wave so far.
Daniel wobbled and tried to regain his footing, but only succeeded in scraping his cane along the wooden decking. It slipped from his grip, sliding away from him. The aftershocks of the first wave led cleanly into a second. There was no stopping him as he tipped backwards and over the railing, down into the sea.
As he fell, he faintly heard Samberly scream. Rose yelled something too. The force as he hit the crashing waves knocked all the air out of Daniel's lungs. A jolt of pain coursed through him when his prosthetic twisted painfully around his leg. Tossed about like a ragdoll, he tried in vain to keep his head above the water.
The last thing he remembered was a flash of shimmering scarlet and the smell of something strangely like tea.
Then it all went black.