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Prologue: Legends1,066 words
Chapter 1: Crew Troubles1,262 words
Chapter 2: Lion's Share1,121 words
Prologue: Legends996 words

Prologue: Legends

Prologue: Legends

'War never changes, but the seas and skies will.'

When I was little, my mother told me that that was an old family saying. That since we started sailing the Oceans and seas of this world, parting from our island chain homeland, we had been looking to the seas and skies as representations of our people, instead of the steadiness of battle and war that seemed to entice other races. But, I must say, I never understood it.

Because, despite whatever she said, our people had fought in wars. From navel, to air battles, and each time that we had fought it was completely different. From beak and claw, to sword and steel, to cannon. We were the kings of the seas, scourge of the skies, and we loved it. That was our solemn heritage, as she told me every night... but I digress.

I recall a story she told me, about one of my greatest ancestors: Aello. She was a great pirate, who controlled the Budgie Dream before giving her fleet to her two daughters, Celaeno and Ocypete. Aello had two ships, the Budgie Dream and the Carrion Skull. The dream, which was given to Ocypete, was the finer of the two. And, despite her heritage, Ocypete decided to go into trading rather than Piracy.

I was always more interested in the stories of Aello, and those few glimpses at Celaeno, than Ocypete, despite being a direct Maternal Decedent of the trader. Trading Spices and gold and things, from Abyssinia to Zebraca to Saddle Arabia and back. She was known throughout our people as a great trader, and yet, my attention was not drawn to her. No, it was drawn particularly to the tale of Aello and the great pirate Roc.

***

The tale, which my mother told me almost every night, started like this: One day, the young captain Aello decided to visit a small port town in the middle of our homeland's sea. Known as a den for piracy, she was not worried, for she had worked as a privateer in the army of Abyssinia. And so, she smiled as she stepped off her sea based vesal, this being a few years before she had converted the dream into an Air vessel, and walked into town.

The small moon shaped island was known for its massive volcano in the center, that it was said had formed due to a large meteor falling down and crashing into the mountainside. But that didn't worry it's current rough inhabitants, who ignored the constantly flowing lava on the other side of the island... dispute it making their island bigger every day. Instead, they stayed in their little tree-covered bay, and partied with bottles of grog.

And so Aeleo walked her way into the bar, leaving her crew behind as they did business, as each of them had refused to join her in this adventure. She didn't care about anything, as her wing slammed the door behind her. The people around the bar glanced at her, but generally ignored her as they had much more important things to do. For this was the bar of pirates.

In her fancy red suit, she was a bit out of place, because everyone around her wore shades of black and brown. She ordered herself a drink, a large thing and strong, and sat down in a corner to observe. She was happy because, though she was a trader by trade, she still sometimes wished for the piracy life. Which is why she had accepted privateering jobs in the past.

After some time had past, and she had struck up several conversations with people around her, she found herself quite drunk. She was generally having a good time, buying rounds for whoever sat with her, and drinking just as much herself. But silence came over the bar as someone walked in.

This was Roc, the head of the greatest fleet of Pirates in the sea, and he was staring right at Aeleo. "What's this, an Abyssinian whelp? I leave for a month and you start bringing in the rabble?" He asked, his large chest heaving as he laughed. "At least she's a bird, I'm surprised you aren't letting the damn cats in my bar." He looked at his bartender. "What's her tab."

"200 Gold over what she's paid, she's been a right riot with everybody." The Bartender said, standing steady under Roc's stare. "Good" Said Roc, marching over to Aeleo and grabbing her shirt. "I think we need to see about paying off your debts."

"Oh, I have the money, if you let me go and get my ship." She said, calmly, but Roc refused. No, he had a much more sinister plan. So he took her, and forced her into a cage in the back. Right outside the back room where he slept, and right for everyone to see. He forced her to dance for the patrons, which for the first few hours before sobriety came on she didn't have too much of a problem with.

However, by the time Roc was asleep she had become painfully sober, and completely awake. She was able to pick her lock with just a feather pulled from her own tail, but it took an inordinate amount of time. Still, she managed it, and broke in to the Roc's bedroom to kill him dead. The next day she was gone, along with his flagship, which she renamed the Carrion skull... for it's new masthead.

And She sailed until she caught up to the dream, which had left her there. She stepped aboard, with a new crew, of five debtor Pirates. They never again returned to that bay, but Aeleo became the captain of two ships. She would not go into port with the dream, but her friends stayed loyal, and she protected them from all ravagers.

***

My mother told me that story one last time the night before she died. In the morning our airship were attacked by northern Pegasi dogs, and while we made it mostly unscathed, she died to a lucky shot. The Pegasi didn't want us, they wanted our cargo. They managed to grab one box, a shipment of High power Balefire Eggs we were bringing to a Trading base in Somnambula. It wasn't that big of a loss, but my mother was gone. Leaving me the heir to the Budgie.

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