Chapter Text
“♪There once was a ship that put to sea. The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea♪” A man’s voice sang, the swashing waves bouncing the metal ship. “♪The winds blew up, her bow dipped down. O blow, my bully boys, blow♪” Some others joined in as a chorus, sounding out with a ‘Huh!’.
“♪Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum,♪” Sails helped the ship to sail across the endless waters. “♪One day, when the tonguin’ is done, we’ll take our leave and go♪” The ship’s occupants sat around or kept an optic on the ocean waters.
“♪She had not been two weeks from shore. When down on her, a right whale bore♪” There was someone with a particularly deep voice, reverberating under everyone else’s. “♪The captain called all hands and swore. He'd take that whale in tow♪” Another ‘Huh!’ in chorus.
The sea shanty kept going as winds billowed and waves rushed. Some drones lightly banged their hands against empty barrel tops, helping to give the shanty a little more melody.
Others moved about, stretching their limbs and backs. A few tried to get some sleep in, resting against the railings and masts of the ship. And a couple more busied themselves with card games.
The salty sea wind ruffled their hair, clothes, sails, and the waters carrying them. The sun beat down upon the ship and the light alloys covering the huge whale skeleton making up the vessel’s ribs and keel.
Up by the whale ship’s lifted tail was the crew’s captain, having held his position for quite a few years now. His grey coat hung off his shoulders, accented with bone buttons, edges, and cuffs.
His tricorn hat was similar in color, with an osseous whale skull pin sitting on the right side flap with draping fish fins tucked with it. The hat was angled farther back on his head for vision purposes.
Passing gusts pressed against his stained pants, permanently painted with black and grey splotches among the navy blue surface. His grey shirt was also being pushed against by the wind. It, too, held bony buttons but was stained with dark spatters.
Belts holding an anchor and chain, a dagger, pouches, a compass, cloths, and fish skulls clinked quietly through the sea shanties the crew sang. Dull, metal heads of harpoons hung from where past human ears would be, dangling from magnets.
His long and thick, blue whale tail made the occasional wave, slowly slowly through the breeze. Scraps of patterned cloth were tied around the end, where the base met the fin. Fish hooks and bones hung off the fin itself as additional jewelry, telling of the man’s various journeys.
One of the said man’s heels tapped on the quarterdeck’s flooring. Both of his heels were nothing less than full-on weapons built into his legs. The widened end of a blunderbuss’ barrel helped give him stability.
The pirate crew continued sailing across the endless sea, a far-off island just coming above the horizon. The captain turned the helmwheel towards it. The crew noticed the change in direction, everyone getting up and starting a new tune.
“♪Give me a spade, and I’ll give you a hole, way-oh on the ocean road♪” Someone was clearly excited when they echoed ‘hole’. “♪Dirt on my brow, but steel in my soul, way-oh on the ocean road♪” Multiple Worker Drones went below deck.
“♪Picking up coal and we’re picking up speed. Shovel as much as the engine needs♪” Fuel was being tossed into the propeller’s engine. “♪Sweat and blood gonna earn my pay, all the way to Frisco Bay!♪”
The sails were opened up as feet stomped around in rhythm all together.
“♪Blowing through hills, tryna make up time, way-oh on the ocean road♪” A few drones looked towards the island coming closer towards them. “♪Ain’t nothing gonna stand in the way of our line, way-oh on the ocean road♪”
The whale bones groaned and shuddered as the pirate ship gradually sped up. The waves were separated by the snout of the skeleton, breaking through the swaying waves. The robots on board started tapping their feet to their shanty.
Other crewmates were woken up by their friends. They yawned and stretched, getting up and preparing for landfall. The sun behind them started to bathe the blue sky in warm colors, tinting it pink and purple.
The pirate ship became all the livelier as the crew would finally meet land after so long. And from the looks of it, there was plenty of foliage to scour through and pluck!
“Alright, tripulantes!” The captain’s lightly accented voice called loudly over the rushing water. “We’re hitting land soon! I don’t want ya going too loco, aight?! We’ve got no idea what kinda threats could be on that island!” He ordered.
“Aye, aye, Captain!” Everyone saluted in return.
All the robots aboard returned to their stations and previous doings. The captain stared ahead at the small bit of land coming up before them. It still took some time to reach it despite fueling their boat.
But when the island started getting larger and the sandy shore longer, they let the fuel get used up and the propeller sluggishly slowed down. Some sails were lifted and tied up to further slow the boat.
Soon enough, the keel, the chest of the whale skeleton, dug into the sand. An anchor was dropped and the propeller stopped. A ramp was slid down, the end splashing into the water. Drones surrounded the ramp’s edge in curiosity. The caption came down from the quarterdeck, his feet needing to tilt to the side so as to not trip him up. A habit he’s obtained.
His heavy, weighty steps made his various jewelry and tools clink and tink. He stopped in front of the ramp, staring off into the thick foliage of the jungle nearby. He blew out a vent from the blowhole tucked between his shoulder, revealing small slits in the back of his clothing.
The pirate captain took the first step onto the ramp. His footfalls were never once light for he simply weighed too much. But as their captain met the shallow waves below, the rest of the crew followed him.
The carpenter came out with his tools, plopping them onto the sand away from the water. A group was formed to collect some wood, another vines, and one more to stand guard. The captain made sure everything and everyone ran smoothly.
As the crew patched up their ship, the day continued to wane. The sun sank lower into the depths of the ocean and the sky lost its color. The Astral Ocean came into view, creating swarms and schools of starry waves.
But even with the darkness settling in quick, the crew didn’t stop working. Underwater dock lights were turned on, giving the small beach some luminance. The panels were replaced or welded up, nails and bolts screwed back in, some wounds patched up.
One of the groups came back with some native fauna of the island, fruits and vegetables. Everyone cheered and the captain laughed heartily.
“Everyone! Let’s take a break!” He called. “And where’s the maldito chef?!” He asked as his tail slapped against the sand.
The said robot came scurrying from the deck. A couple others hobbled after him with cooking equipment in their arms. It was all swiftly set up, along with barrels, tubs, and logs for tables and benches.
Using a couple of handy tricks, the chef got the grill to start up. There was another round of cheering. The veggies and fruits were cut and diced before being poked onto skewers.
“Come on! Where’s the booze?!” Someone asked jovially.
“Aye! You heard ‘em!” Their grey-blue-haired captain called.
He went with a few others to grab the wine and gasoline. The heavy barrels were thumped onto the ground. Some taps were stuck into the tiny holes and mugs were passed around. The captain took his extra large mug, willed with a familiar mix of wined gasoline, “Wine and Line”, they cheekily called it.
With a soft grunt, the Blue Whale Drone sat onto a rock. Skewers were passed around and more were set onto the grill. The smell of roasted plants filled the air, the dock lights still illuminating the beach and its occupants.
There was a minute where the captain simply stared at his lively crew. Many had lost limbs, or those stolen from their adversaries. For those who couldn’t find robotic replacements, items scavenged from the depths were used.
One drone had the end of a crutch as a pegleg. Another’s hand was chopped off by some other pirates and was carried off by a seagull. Now, a toy machine’s claw replaced it. One more drone had a cracked camera lens replacing an optic, sticking right out of his broken visor.
The captain’s smile slowly wavered and faltered as he stared at his crew. Many wounds this time were fresh, a plunder less than successful. He felt guilty, for his mistake wouldn’t have cost them so much.
‘Like our quartermaster.’ His tail waved again.
“Aye, Captain Nereo! What’s with the frown?!” Someone nudged his side. He couldn’t make him budge even an inch. “You haven’t even drunk anything! Take a swig! Join us!” He laughed, missing denta showing off.
His captain stared at him for a moment. He sighed and gave a small smile.
“Aye, here’s to the new bones in the ocean!” Their captain raised his mug.
His crew all followed with a short cheer. Each one of them chugged down a large gulp of their booze. A round of whoops went around along with laughter.
A sigh left the pirate captain’s lips. He glanced at the Astral Ocean again. The twinkling waves shining down on them. Hopefully they would bless them with safer, more successful travels, at least for a time.
“Let’s all make a toast to the Astral Ocean! Perhaps she’ll give us some suerte when we head out to sea again!” The Whale Drone raised his glass once more. “To the Astral Ocean! May her waves bless our travels!”
“May her waves bless our travels!” His crew replied, flinging their own cups into the air.
Another big swig was taken and mugs were emptied. More booze was poured out, including for their captain. Jovial laughter and talk went about as skewers and kabobs were eaten.
Somewhere on the other side of the island was a small village. With the night settling in, the boats had come back and hauled with them their new yield. Supplies were taken to a storage building somewhere deeper within the village.
Anything like plants were set to be cooked and served. And while everyone was getting ready for dinner, a group was made to go out and pick some of their fruits and vegetables.
Rebecca, Emily, Ashley, and Marina went out with baskets in hand and on their backs to the small farm. They walked around tree roots, hopped over logs, and lit the darkening way with flashlights.
“How much do you think we should pick?” Ashley inquired as they traveled.
“Enough to feed everyone and not have them complain.” Rebecca rolled her eyes at the obvious answer.
“Maybe we should pick extra in case?” Emily spoke up, fixing her wire glasses. “The drones from the diving team must be super hungry! It’s not easy to get solar power under the water, eith- OW!” Emily flinched as Rebecca smacked her upside the head.
“Yeah, yeah! We get it! Shut up!” The blue-haired girl snarled.
The group was quiet as they finished their trek. The four ladies walked about their village’s small farm, fenced with wood and vines and scented with anything foul, like rotting seaweed. There were also a few seagull scarecrows as well.
As the young women collected tonight’s biofuel, Marina noticed something. She went over to a barren patch of vines, trees, and bushels. After a quick inspection, she found that they were oddly empty.
“Hey, did someone else come here before us?” She asked with a quirking brow.
“Not that I know of.” Rebecca didn’t even spare her a glance.
“Is there a problem?” Ashley questioned next, pausing her picking.
“Uh- Well-” Marina stuttered, thinking. “Maybe not…” She turned away from the bushes.
“Then shut it and keep picking!” Rebecca ordered with a huff.
Marina’s expression flattened.
“Did a crab get into her skirt or what?” She muttered to herself, passing Ashley.
“I dunno. I think she just doesn’t wanna do work.” The other girl said.
“Well, neither do we, but at least we aren’t complaining about it.” Marina scoffed. “Not to mention it only takes a few minutes anyway.”
Ashley just shrugged in reply. The two started going back down the path, with Emily and Rebecca following suit soon after.
When they got back, they dropped off the fruits to whoever was cooking that night and returned to friends and family. Rebecca went straight up to her boyfriend, hooking her arms around his neck and pulling him away.
“Hey- Where are we going? I was gonna get some food!” Darren asked.
“Forget that for now! Let’s go and have ourselves a little immoral make-out session~” She giggles. “Besides, the food’ll take time to cook, anyway.”
Darren looked at her, then back at the fiery grills. He shrugged his shoulders and followed his girlfriend into the forest in the dark of night.
Captain Nereo set down his mug with a sigh. He chuckled and his tail flopped against the sand. He and most of his crew were right drunk now.
“Aight, mi tripulación! Let’s start putting together our night shifts!” He called.
The crew groaned playfully but obeyed. Nereo stood and stared at his men.
“All wounded go back onto La Fortuna Absoluta. You’ll be of no help with wounds like those.” He pointed to the skeletal boat.
The freshly-injured crewmates hobbled their drunken way onto the boat’s ramp and hopped onto the deck.
“Cook and carpenter! You go as well!” Captain Nereo spoke.
The two walked off, leaning on each other to keep stable. Nereo stared after them for a few moments, optics squinted.
“Who here is borracho off your ass?” He questioned.
Quite a few Worker Drones raised their hands. Their captain sighed, setting his hands on his hips.
“All of you get back onto La Fortuna Absoluta.” He waved his hand.
Some snickers and chuckles left their lips as they got back onto the ship to sleep. Nereo looked at the rest of his crew.
“Aight. Looks like I’ll be up late tonight.” He spoke.
“Aw, don’t do that! We’ll be fine on our own!” Someone objected.
“Aye! We’ll be aight without you!” Another exclaimed with a grin.
Nereo stared pensively for a few seconds. His thick whale tail made a thinking flap.
“Aight.” The captain conceded. “But if anything happens, you wake me up. Don’t matter what.” He pointed with a stern expression.
“Aye, aye, Captain!” The few men saluted back.
“I’m gonna be getting some shut-optic now. Make sure to stay safe, you locos.” Nereo chuckled, heading for the ramp.
“We could say the same to you, Captain!” A man guffawed.
Nereo just smiled and hopped onto the deck. He went straight to the captain’s cabin and closed the door. Nereo spun on his weaponized heel and fell onto his hammock. He tilted his finned hat over his face plates, blocking out any extra lights.
Sleep Mode wasn’t quite so easy to fall into when you weren’t constantly rocked by waves, but Nereo managed.