“There is never enough time! I thought I had three months, where did the time go?”

            Corvus waited a few seconds before stepping back from where he was standing, allowing the pages, data slates and ink well to hit the floor and splash ink on a heavily ink stained floor.

            “Captain, despite all your hard work, it is time. We have arrived, just like you knew we would. Your crew will be selecting those who are fated to come with us soon enough. If you do not finish up here, you might miss it.”

            A dark, foreboding laugh echoed throughout the room from his captain as Corvus waited as things played out as he expected. Incapable of holding himself back, Corvus tilted his head slightly early to receive what was to come next.

            “Odd that your name is not sidewinder, or viper… Corvus does not fit you. No tail to eat.”

            Turning away from the captain’s chair, Corvus walked to the far bulkhead and pulled down the captain’s long coat. Twisting on his heel as swift and as capable as a dancer, the coat flared out and barely skimmed the book that flew past to hit the bulkhead inches away from where Corvus had been standing moments earlier. He would have sighed, but this was the treatment Corvus had gotten used to, having seen this exact thing happen time and again. With swift, measured, and dedicated steps he walked up to his captain’s bowed shoulders to drape the coat around them. Pulling a brush out of a side pocket of his pants, Corvus did one last dusting of the shoulders before stepping back and inspecting his captain.

            “Now captain… you know that the crew is already upset for setting sail for the past three months nonstop with no fight or fun. If you are not there, you risk them picking the wrong crewmate and what would happen then? My heart shudders at the thought of who they might pick.”

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            A furious brown eye looked out from between dirt embedded, oily hair that spilled over to obscure the captain’s face. A rictus smile was plastered on his face if Corvus had to guess, and it was his knowledge that had kept the ship running for all these years. Sadly, it was no longer amusing that he was always one the crew seemed to bet on, if only things could have been different.

As much as the captain looked disheveled, his clothing was always to the high standards of Corvus as a pirate ship could never have a disheveled captain despite how the man felt. Bowing low, arm across his waist, Corvus waited for the trusted sound of the captain gaining his feet. This was a dance they had played out over the many years they were together, and one that did not appear to be ending any time soon, at least if Corvus had a say in things.

            The wooden chair creaked as the captain’s hook caught under the chair under its right arm. His peg leg skipped along the floor for barely a moment before it found traction. With a tired grunt and the pop of old bones, Corvus could hear the comforting sound of his captain and oldest friend standing. His gyro-jet pistol scraped across the wooden table before it was delicately placed into its holster. Hearing a single boot stomping on the metal floor, Corvus stood erect to find his captain adjusting his clothing to go meet the newest shipwright. 

            “May the universe damn us for what we need to do.”

            The bile of self-loathing and disgust was heavily weighing those words, but Corvus just nodded in reply, having heard the statement countless times from his captain.

            “Should we go sir? We would not want to be late, now, would we?”

            For the first time in a long time, Corvus had a reason to beam an honest smile as his captain heartily laughed at something their leader felt was funny. The levity of the moment would surely raise his spirits, or so Corvus hoped. It was not normal to meet the footsteps that fate led out for you despite your wishes. This moment was always an interesting one, and one that Corvus had been looking forward to watching. He found that once again he wanted to skip down the hall for the play that was about to play out, but Corvus refused to do so, as it would be disrespectful to such a moment in time.