Chapter Text
Second Mate Williams rapped lightly on the door of the captain’s cabin.
“Come,” beckoned a deep, velvety voice in response.
Williams pushed open the door and timidly entered. The Captain was leaning back in a fine leather chair, his boots propped up on his desk. He wore a thick navy roll-neck jumper underneath a pair of leather braces, and held an unlit briar pipe between his teeth.
“You requested to see me, Captain Davies?” Willaims smoothed his striped blouse and neckerchief and did his best to correct his posture.
“Mhm. Get in here and close the door,” said the captain. Williams obeyed. “I regret that we didn’t have a chance to speak in private before we were underway. You were First Mate at your last posting, correct?”
Williams nodded. “Yes, sir, under Captain Wells on the Kaikoura .”
The Captain held up a piece of paper. Even from across the room, Williams could recognise the familiar tightly looping handwriting of his previous Captain. “You came highly recommended. Five years of exemplary service until the recent sale of your vessel to the British India Steam Navigation Company. You requested an assignment to a ship that would continue to dock in New Zealand, even if it required a demotion.”
“Correct.”
“More to the point as to why I’ve requested an audience with you today- Wells praised you highly for your ability to ensure that tasks were completed to his satisfaction, regardless of how unusual the request may be.”
A blush began to creep up on Williams’ face, and he shifted his weight from one foot to another uncomfortably.
“And reading between the lines,” Captain Davies continued, swinging his feet down to the floor in one smooth motion. He leaned forward on his elbows, grinning wolfishly at the anxious younger man. “I’m inclined to believe that the nature of your loyalty to your Captain required a certain amount of… discretion?”
Williams opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a little bleat.
“I’ll take that as a yes. I’d like you to do something for me. A personal favour, if you will.”
“Sir, if you’d like me to…” Williams took a step forward. “I’ve been told I’m quite skilled at…”
“Assisting your Captain?”
Williams blushed furiously.
“Excellent!” Captain Davies slapped the top of the desk loud enough to make Williams jump before reaching below. His hand rummaged around for a moment, shuffling and rearranging something just out of sight, never breaking eye contact with Williams. With a pleased grunt, the captain pulled out a thick fistful of stiff paper. “I have some special tasks for you to assign to the crew. Feel free to assemble your team from the people you’re most familiar with.”
“...oh.”
“You sound disappointed. What did you expect me to ask of you?” The Captain continued to stare Williams down, giving the papers in his hand a little shake.
“Um…?” Williams finally leaned across the desk to take the offered tasks.
The Captain laughed uproariously and clapped the Second Mate on the arm as he handed over the stack of papers. “I’m teasing you, my good lad. I can tell we’ll get along.” He shoved a stick of red wax and a stamp at Williams as well. “Seal them up once you’ve reviewed them. You’ll see why I’ve requested discretion.”
Williams nodded, but remained rooted to the spot, still trying to process what had just happened.
“Dismissed,” the Captain said.
“Oh, so you’ve already become this Captain’s special little admin boy, too?” said Daniel as she noted the insignia pressed into the seal.
“Hilarious, Laura-” he winced and corrected himself- “Quartermaster Daniel. It’s not like that at all. Quite the opposite, actually.”
“And we’re back to formalities? Even after the lovely date we had? Did our spaghetti dinner mean nothing to you?”
“That was a long time ago, quite gross in reality, and, as you said- we have a new captain. Going by the book now.”
Daniel popped open the wax seal and began to read to herself. “This doesn’t seem to be particularly by the book, Paul.”
“Second Mate… Williams?” he corrected, meekly.
She talked right over him. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re on track to pass the equator too early for this to work out without altering our course several degrees.”
Williams smoothly produced another folded paper from an unseen pocket of his jacket. “I was instructed to give you this one if you comment about a lack of permission to alter course.”
You are hereby ordered to alter course if necessary to complete my previous request.
-Captain G.D Davies
Unlike the original task, this one was signed by the captain himself. “Well. Can’t argue with that. Tell the captain I’ll have her in position with plenty of time to spare.”
“What? What am I supposed to do with this?” shouted Correos, dramatically throwing the paper on the ground. “Couldn’t you have given me a fun task, like making cocktails?”
“You’d probably just serve up a couple of glasses of petrol,” said Williams.
“That’s unfair! That was one time and it looks perfectly edible!”
The Second Mate just shook his head in bewilderment as Correos looked over the task again.
“Oh, fuck! A GOURMET meal? Look at what I have to work with! I’ve got… wheat biscuits. Brussels sprouts. Onions. Cans of rations. Does the captain want me to serve canned tomatoes and… oats? It’s not like I can make him a nice salad! He’d just send it back if I tried! How am I supposed to make him something gourmet out of this slop?”
“It’s, um, dinner for two, actually,” Williams said.
“Great! Fantastic! He’s got a guest! Oh no, is it a date!? You’ve seen how mediocre I am at setting up dates! He’s going to throw me overboard, Paul!”
“…Second Mate Williams.”
“I don’t care! Why are you doing this to me?” Correos wailed, dropping to his knees, then flattening himself onto the floor, his face pressed into the worn wooden planks. “Mhm mhh mmm mm m mhmm?”
“Pardon?”
The distraught cook turned his head just enough to free his mouth and repeated, “How much time do I have? Enough to bake some fresh sourdough?”
“All the information’s on the, um… letter.”
“Fuck! Just tell me!”
Williams sighed, pulled out his pocket watch, and clicked it open. “If you start now, you have one day, twelve hours, fourteen minutes, and… eight seconds. Seven seconds. …six seconds.”
Correos howled inhumanly.
“I’ll… leave you to it…” said Williams as he slowly backed out of the galley.
First Mate’s Log
29 December 1899
Several of the new crew members that transferred from the Kaikoura seemed quite fretful today. I found one of the cooks sobbing and attempting to climb inside a barrel of onions, and the navigator slammed her logs shut when I entered the room. It is possible that they are having difficulties adjusting to the procedures on this vessel. I have heard rumour that leads me to believe that Captain Wells was considerably less pertinacious than Captain Davies regarding interpersonal relationships between the crew. I am additionally concerned about the Second Mate, who, despite the extremely close relationship he seems to be developing with the Captain, has been terse with me today. Tomorrow, I intend to offer my recommendations for possible morale building activities to the Captain.