Chapter 2 "Ouch." "Hold still." Bae reached for the treasure box. "I said hold still." The Captain put a hand on top of Bae's head to hold him steady. Bae thought the man smelled of old leather and sea salt. It was a familiar scent he had known since he was born. The man was by design more father to Bae than his own father. Bae flinched as the Captain wove his needle and thread through the open gash in Bae's scalp. The scar would be under the hairline and barely visible when healed, but still, the needle stung as the Captain expertly sewed the flesh together. Bae fidgeted in his seat as the storm outside continued to rage. Bae tried not to look at the needle as it glinted menecingly in the light and moved in and out of the cut on his head. He concentrated instead out the window as the ship swung on her anchor while sheets of rain beat a rhythmic dance against the Bridge windows. The tsunami wave had passed, leaving the lagoon swollen and churning with a mix of mud and debris. Bae glanced at the radar, a red and yellow blotch in the center of the screen showed the storm extended for hundreds of miles in every direction. "Any Mayday's yet?" asked Bae. "A few, but your brothers ships are closer," replied the Captain. Bae sighed. "They get all the luck." The Captain scowled at the boy and Bae quickly amended his statement. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, but we need those rescue fees to buy more fuel if there isn't anything valuable in the box." "And pay the crew, and fix what needs fixing on the island," replied the Captain. Bae turned his head and looked out at the small island being pounded by the storm. The Captain rolled his eyes. "Not that island, you empty headed boy, your island." The corner of Bae's mouth curled into an embarrassed grin. "Oh, Altain Island. You're talking about the boat ramp and the sea wall. I don't have the money to fix those." The Captain pulled the thread up and knotted the end before snipping off the extra thread with a pair of scissors. "I told you to go talk to the bank." Bae lifted his hand to touch the freshly sewn wound with his fingers and earned a slap on the hand from the Captain. "Leave it alone." Bae snatched his hand back. "I'd need two million to fix the sea wall, they won't give me that much." "You won't know until you try." "They'll want my fishing fleet for collateral," said Bae. The Captain put the needle and thread back into his medical bag and turned towards the radar display. "They'll want more than that, but you don't have many options." Bae shook his head. "I won't do that, if I put my title up for collateral I could lose it, then who would I be?" The Captain lifted a set of headphones and pressed one side to an ear. "If you're worried about the Altains leaving your service, you don't need to, we'll stay with you regardless." Bae smiled. "You'd stay with me if I lost my title?" "That question is beneath you, boy." The Captain glanced to the side at Bae. "I've told you before, the Altains don't belong to you, you belong to the Altains. You were placed in my arms and care the moment after your birth, that contract can not be broken." "I know how House Governments work," complained Bae as he pulled the treasure box across the table and tugged at the latch. "I'm the fifth son of House Tares, which means my province is Altain Island." Bae fiddled with the latch on the box. "Hey, I think it's locked." Captain Sal was no longer paying attention to Bae and had lifted the radio microphone. "This is the Baestar ocean tug, state your emergency." Bae's head whipped around. He had been so intent on the treasure box he hadn't seen the flashing Mayday light on the ship's communications panel. The Captain listened intently to the radio call, then snapped his fingers at Bae. "Get map 21E out," he whispered to Bae. Bae jumped up and pulled the map drawer open while the Captain continued to speak with the radio operator on the other end of the transmission. "Roger, we're five miles from your position. ETA, thirty minutes in this storm." Bae found the requested map and laid it out on the chart table for the Captain. "Well, what do we got?" The Captain set the headset down and moved to the map. He picked up a compass and measured the distance and direction to the ship in distress. "A cargo ship, big one, they've lost steerage." Bae's eyes widened. The rescue fee for a cargo ship in this storm would finance the tug for a month. "We have to hurry, if they take a rogue wave to beam they could capsize." "Get your harness on, I want you with Gunther on the starboard line, and Tath and Massi on the port line." "Seriously? I get to work the deck?" "This will be a difficult rescue, I need everyone on deck." The Captain turned his head to the treasure box and raised a brow. "I thought you said the box was locked?" Bae turned around. The box was open and the monkey sitting inside. "Hey, that's my treasure box." Bae stuck his head over the box and looked inside. The monkey protested, but there wasn't anything in the box. "It's empty." Bae frowned. He had used up the last of their fuel on a treasure hunt and now had nothing to show for it, there was enough fuel to get back, but nothing after that. If they could rescue the cargo ship, nobody would know how close to ruin he'd come. The Bae Star was shining down on him tonight. Well, maybe not shining down, the storm obscured any chance of seeing his namesake in the southern sky; with modern radar it really wasn't necessary to see the ancient mariners navigation star to set a course. All the fifth sons of House Tares were named after the Bae Star. It was an ancient tradition that dated back to when the Chief of the Tares tribe had led a fleet of barely more than canoes across the ocean to the island chain that had become their home. The Chief's fifth son was born on the day they had discovered the islands, and from that day forward the fifth sons of the ruling family were all named for the Bae Star that had guided the tribe safely across the vast ocean, and away from the brutal tribal wars on the mainland. Bae gave the monkey a scratch on the head. "Go ahead and keep the box if you like it, at least it will be useful for something." Bae moved the box and monkey to the bench seat and wrapped a safety strap around the box so it wouldn't slide off the table when the ship left the lagoon. He then quickly slipped into his safety harness and headed for the door. "Bae," the Captain stopped him. Bae looked back at the Captain. "If you put your title up for collateral, the bank isn't allowed to sell it for fifty years, you will have time to buy it back - that's how your great-grandfather bought the fishing fleet." Bae nodded and pulled the door open. He stepped out into the rain and shut the door behind him. He would probably do what Captain Sal told him. Captain Sal was Bae's official guardian assigned to him at birth. Bae didn't see his real father, Lord Tares, very often. Captain Sal was charged with raising Bae in the ways of the Altains, and to groom him to take over for the aging Governor Baestar. Old man Baestar was in his eighties now, but still sharp enough to govern the island, with some help from Bae's personal staff. Old man Baestar was Bae's grandfather's fifth son, and one of the longest serving Altain Governors. Bae's father, a first son, had his children late in life, and so old man Baestar would continue to serve until Bae reached his eighteenth birthday, or until the old man passed away and Bae would have to take over full-time. Bae hooked his harness tether to the jackline that ran the length of the ship and made his way to the forward observation room on the main deck. The rain stung his face and the wind roared past as he carefully made his way to the bow. He slipped once and was grateful for the jackline that kept him from going over the side. The forward observation room was where the winch controls the First Mate would use to operate the various deck winches. The deck crew would stay in the forward compartment when not needed on deck - it was safer than being out on deck during rough weather. Gunther was already inside preparing the winch controls. The First Mate looked up from the winch controls as Bae pulled the hatch shut behind him. "You all sewed up?" asked Gunther. "Yeah, it wasn't so bad." Bae pulled his hood back and showed the man his new stitches. Gunther nodded and gave Bae a grin. "You know, the ladies like a man with a few scars." Bae's face turned crimson red. "Really?" Gunther laughed and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "You'll find out in a few years." Bae wasn't entirely certain what he was going to find out in few years, but it probably had something to do with things that happened inside the Tavern. He might own Altain Island, but there were still places he wasn't allowed to go, and the Tavern was one of them. He and the other boys had to sit outside the ancient stone building on benches drinking root beer while the crews from their various ships went inside. It wasn't so bad sitting outside on the bench, they could hear the lively music from inside, and it was never long before one of the boys pulled out a set of Bone Dice and a game of Lady Death began - the game was a favorite among sailors. Bae leaned against the bulkhead and watched Tath and Massi out on the bow pulling in the ground lines and preparing to raise the anchors. When the two anchor chains were ready, Tath signaled back and Gunther pulled the lever back to retrieve the two heavy anchors. Bae put his hand against the side of the hull and felt the chain as it dropped link by link into the anchor locker, he also felt the familiar hum of the two powerful 3000hp engines warming up. Something felt wrong with one of the engines, though not by much, but it was there, a slight tick in the normally harmonious vibrations. "Something's wrong with the engines." Gunther glanced at Bae. "You feel it, do you? They need serviced." Bae sighed. That meant dry dock, and dry dock was boring, as well as expensive. Lately it seemed that everything was in need of service; the engines, the sea wall, the boat ramp, the docks, pot holes in the roads, a leaky roof on city hall - and all of it to be paid for from his empty bank account. Old man Baestar was still managing the island, but the finances had already passed to Bae. "Am I going to be broke for my whole life?" "Welcome to being an Altain, we're all broke, now get your head in the game." "I'm bored." "Then get out there and help Massi stow the ground lines." Bae didn't need to be told twice, he shot out the door and into the rain; at least being outside was interesting. He had no more than reached the bow when Tath, the 2nd Mate, pointed at Bae and yelled for him to attach his safety tether to the jackline. Bae winced and looked up at the wheelhouse, the Captain was staring down at him; forgetting to attach his tether would earn him another scolding later. Nothing was going right today. He hooked his safety harness onto the jackline and rushed to help Massi coiling up the ground lines. Massi moved quickly and with efficiency where Bae stumbled a bit. It was obvious Massi was advancing past him in skill; Bae needed to spend more time working the deck. The boys got the lines coiled up and carried them back to the rope locker as Tath finished securing the anchor windless. The ship was already turning about and heading out of the lagoon by the time the boys were finished stowing the ropes. Bae started to head back to the bow but Massi grabbed his arm. "We need to check all the hatches before the ship hits open sea," Massi shouted over the wind. Bae winced at the rebuke, he had known that but he wasn't thinking. What was wrong him today? He took the port side while Massi headed starboard. Bae was only halfway finished when the ship left the leeward shelter of the island. The storm waves rose and crashed over the side and pushed him off his feet in a deluge of water. He slid along the side deck and frantically grabbed for the railing, then his harness jerked hard and stopped him from going over the side. The wave passed as the ship rose in the trough between waves. Bae scrambled to his feet - Tath had hold of his tether line. The man frowned at him as Bae regained his balance. "We need to get up to the forward compartment," shouted Tath. "I haven't finished checking the hatches." "I've already done it, let's go." "Massi is on the starboard side, we should help him." "He's already finished and forward sipping tea while you're out here acting like you've never been on a ship before." Bae's shoulders tightened as he received his third scolding of the day. Tath kept his hand around Bae's tether and began to lead him back towards the bow. Bae's face flushed red with anger, he hadn't been led by his safety tether since he was six years old. The humiliation was too much and Bae pulled the tether line from Tath's hand. Tath whipped around and glared at Bae. "I'm not a baby," shouted Bae. "Then don't act like one," Tath shouted back. "How many times have you had to be rescued today, are we raising an Altain sailor, or a spoiled Tares aristocrat?" Bae clenched his jaw together. He wasn't a spoiled aristocrat, and neither were his brothers. All nine of his brothers worked long hours either on ships or at the four Tares plantations. Bae coiled his tether in his left hand and stomped past the man, keeping the tether out of his reach. Another wave crested over the bow and down the ship, but this time Bae was ready and held the railing tight. An ocean tug was much different than a regular ship that rode high on the waves. A tug sat low in the water and tended to plow through the waves in it's own trough, this made staying on deck while in heavy seas dangerous. Bae and Tath made their way back to the forward compartment to wait while the Captain searched for the stricken cargo ship. Bae plopped down on a bench to sulk while Massi came to sit next to him. "Want some tea?" asked Massi, handing Bae the thermos.