Illuminated by a dimly lit green flare, sat Starkey in the captain’s deck of the Sea Devil, Captain Hook’s newest ship. Not as great as the Jolly Roger that Peter stole so many years ago, but it would have to do for now. Unlike the Jolly Roger, this ship was always seen as a temporary means to an end. It was cold and barley furbished, as if someone just moved in. No personal touch to it at all. Starkey used to the ship’s console to monitor the wormhole that laid in space, the only path that led from the universe of Neverland to the world that Peter loved so much. After learning Peter had already flown through, he used his tentacular hands and shut off the console. Hook would not like this.
Starkey was a humanoid fish creature, strange to Earth but incredibly common on the planet he came from. He had bulging green eyes, a multicolored fin across his head resembling a mow hawk, and webbed feet. He had tried wearing boots like all of the men on the ship, but kept on slipping into the soles. His feet had suction holes that worked on solid ground and were frankly sturdier than the most expensive boots one could find in Neverland, so he went without them. He brought his tentacles to his cybernetic jaw and rubbed it, pondering how he would break the terrible news to Hook. It still felt odd to him rubbing his new cybernetic jaw. Some beings in the galaxy looked at cybernetic enhancements as a disability. But that was not the case on the Sea Devil. Starkey wore it as if it was a badge of honor. Nearly half the men had some type of robotic appendage. From battles, to ship explosions, to simple bets amongst the crew which went terribly wrong. Everyone eventually became a cyborg as a rite of passage.
“Starkey!” a raspy sophisticated voice yelled out. Starkey stood at attention immediately. After years of being Hook’s right-hand man, Starkey knew not to keep the captain waiting. He hurried over to the captain’s chair, which was turned toward a massive glass window that started at the floor and ended at the ceiling. This was Hook’s usual spot for slipping slowly into madness.
“Yes, captain?” Starkey gulped out. He was stiff just thinking about how this news may affect the captain.
“Status report…”
“Unfortunately,” Starkey said taking a huge breath. “It seems Pan caught on too quickly. He’s already in the wormhole. Not enough time to deploy your plan.” Starkey knew he wouldn’t like that, after months of planning. But then an idea popped into his fish head. “Want me to detonate it now and blow him out of the-”. Before Starkey could finish his sentence, he heard a robotic, metallic, morphing sound and found a giant cybernetic hook right below his chin! Starkey instantly became as stiff as a sword, thinking every breath he took could possibly be his last. Starkey tried not to show how terrified he was, but even a terrible poker player would know his true feelings.
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“Do you want to end up like your brother, Starkey?” Hook said in a slow and calm voice.
“N-No sir.”
“Then start-”, Hook’s hook scraped down Starkey’s neck, causing blood to trickle down to Starkey’s body. “Following! Orders!” The hook felt as if it was going to plunge deeper into Starkey’s throat. But then they heard a loud beeping coming from the ship’s console. Starkey felt the hook drop and relaxed. “Is that our old friend?” Hook asked, returning back to his calm tone. Starkey, even in his relaxed state, was still frozen, contemplating his life may end at any moment. “Is it?!” Hook barked.
Starkey rushed over to the console and checked the messages. “Ye-Yes captain! He says…he couldn’t stop Pan.” He looked over to Hook just in time to see a blaster being thrown at his head! He ducked quickly allowing the blaster to fly over his head and hit the end of the ship. They heard a laser sound of the blaster accidentally firing and then the yelp of a distant crew member. Starkey disregarded the noise and quickly saw that the message wasn’t over. “But! But! He said, got a girl on board.” Starkey winced, expecting another blaster thrown at his face, but nothing came. “Call it…an insurance policy?” he finished reading. Starkey looked toward the captain and heard nothing but silence, until Hook let out a devilish laugh, much louder and longer than it needed to be.
“Devilishly clever man that one is. Almost makes me miss him aboard the ship. Much less clever back then.” Hook’s joking demeanor induced Starkey to loosened up. The laugh was a sure signal that a new plan was in the works from the brilliant Captain Hook! Hook launched up from his chair with his arms stretched out. His back was still to Starkey, leaving only a silhouette of the scoundrel and his hook gleaming under the starlight. “Let’s cash in on that insurance policy eh?” It took a few moments for Starkey to realize that Hook was asking for something. He saw Hook’s head shift slightly towards him, still in the shadows. Any fool could tell that Hook was awaiting an answer. “Starkey?”
Starkey knew that was a question. “Yes captain?” Starkey quickly prompted. Hook let out a sigh, he couldn’t believe his assistant was this stupid. “Isn’t there something you should be doing?”
“Whatever you want captain!”
Hook let out a bigger sigh. “Prepare the troops, you dumb fiend!” The roar caused Starkey a panic. He ran toward the intercom to make the call.
“You’ll be home soon Peter. Very soon,” Hook devilishly laughed. With his last words, his hook robotically transformed into a bright beaming laser sword!