Destiny Unraveled, part 10


Early the next morning, the landing party headed for the market with their rolling totes they normally used for taking laundry to the washing machines. Each cart was pushed by two crewmen who would return to the ship once it was filled then return for the next load. Once Janice was satisfied that their larders were filled, she began allowing her crew to take turns coming to shore for their own shopping. Each person was given some paper currency and told they could purchase whatever they wanted for themselves. They would have until mid afternoon then the ship would set sail.

Most items bought were things like razors, hygiene products, and clothing. But the markets carried many items and some returned with tobacco, alcohol, or even books written in English.

Unfortunately, a few men found something they wanted a lot more.

Three of the crewmen headed for the nearest local bar in spite of the early hours. What they wanted wouldn't be found in a shot glass. After so much time at sea, they really wanted to find a way to get rid of their sexual frustrations and the money in hand made it easy to find a woman who was willing.

Two of the men were quite happy with their new friends and disappeared from sight into back rooms. Doug Kramer spotted a young thing sitting at the end of the bar. She looked as fresh as summer rain. He headed for her with every intention of purchasing some personal time with her.

He didn't speak any French but he figured sliding a few bills her way would be all that was needed. He grinned at her wolfishly but was surprised when she looked at him in outrage and shoved the bills back towards him. It never occurred through his drunken haze that not every woman inside a bar was a prostitute. Doug had the misfortune of trying to pick up the proprietor's fourteen year old daughter who had been waiting for her father's return.

 "What's the matter, honey? My money not good enough for you?" The whiskey he had drunk was making him brave and his horniness making him stupid. He grabbed her by the arm to pull her from her stool. He kept a tight hold on her arm and was dragging her towards the back rooms. The girl began shouting at him which in turn brought out one of the men from the kitchen.

The small kitchen helper didn't let his lack of size stop him from trying to help his boss' daughter. The sound of the brawl in the bar brought in several others from the back rooms and it was a matter of seconds before a full-scale brawl was happening.

"Damn it, Captain, a couple of guys have caused a ruckus in one of the bars. You had better hurry!" one sailor shouted. She and the others rushed to follow the crewman up a narrow street. Inside, she was shocked to see that several of her men were wildly throwing punches with the locals and all hell had broke loose.

"That's enough!" she boomed, furious. Robbie and JP stepped forward and begun pulling people apart.

"You heard the captain," Robbie snarled. "Break it up!"

Kali was doing her best to listen to all the shouting people who threw accusations at the white men who had caused all the trouble. It wasn't until she spotted the trembling teenager that she had an idea what was going on. Kali approached the girl and gently asked what had happened. The girl told her, her voice shaky but angry at her treatment.

"I will tell our captain what happened. She will punish these men, believe me."

The girl spat on the floor, letting Kali know what she thought would happen. The man would get off with little or no punishment for attacking a local girl. Sailors protected each other.

"She is an honorable woman. She will deal with these men, I promise."

"She won't have to. My father will see that he is dealt with like the animal he is."

"Let me speak to her before he takes action, please?"

"Papa will be here any moment so you had better hurry," the girl warned. Kali nodded and rushed to Janice's side. She quickly explained what happened and warned the Captain that not all people went through the police for justice. At best, only Doug would be punished by the father once he arrived. The other two might purchase their forgiveness for the damages caused during the fight.

"So if I don't deal harshly with him, the father will?"

Kali agreed, warning her that a month locked up on bread and water wouldn't be considered harsh. Doug had been fortunate that people from his ship had arrived before the brawl ended. Otherwise he might have just been a missing crewman who had never been seen again.

A man entered the bar and begun shouting. People began speaking all at once and Kali did her best to keep Janice informed of what was being said. The outraged father rushed towards Doug but Robbie and Janice quickly stepped between them.

"Kali, translate please. May I ask your name, sir?" Janice listened carefully before continuing. "I am the captain of this...man, and wish to apologize for his behavior and for his two friends who became involved. I assure you that I will deal with them in a manner they deserve."

"Oh?" the man asked, his tone telling Janice he doubted she'd do a thing to them. He wanted his revenge on the man who handled his beloved child like a common whore.

"Sir, it is intolerable that any man treats a woman as he has. I will make sure not only he but the rest of my crew learns a lesson from this."

"A lesson," he sneered.

"Come to our ship at dusk and you will be witness to my judgment on these men."

"And find that you've sailed away? No, I will deal with this hyena myself."

"I will stay as a hostage," Cierra volunteered.

"And I will also," Robbie said, unwilling to leave Cierra alone. Suddenly the man had half a dozen women willing to remain behind as proof of the captain's good intentions. Faced with this, the man's anger gave way to being willing to listen to what Janice proposed.

For one, Janice handed him a bag of gold to pay for the damages to his bar. She then gave him a second small bag for the injuries his employees had gotten while protecting his daughter. She explained the two men's punishment would be no shore leave for six months. He accepted the bags quietly and considered the matter closed for the other two men. He would hold judgment for the man who had attacked his daughter.

He arrived with four of his strongest men at dusk as she had asked. She told the father that they would sail a short distance away then return. She would rather not have the port authorities investigate what was happening on her own ship. The father agreed and accepted a comfortable seat near the captain along with the drink of his choice.

Janice had placed a ship-wide ban on family members. They were to remain in their cabins until she gave the all clear. Janice didn't want the wives or children to see what she had planned. The crew members she wanted to witness and listen. She never, ever wanted to go through something like this again.

Doug was brought out between two strong men and tied against a mast, his hands pulled high and lashed to keep him immobile. His shirt was cut from his back. Janice turned to the father and handed him an old fashioned bull whip. It had been carefully wrapped so the leather wouldn't tear open the skin yet the pain would still be experienced. It would leave welts on the man's skin that could be painful for weeks.

"I believe the first ten strokes belong to you," Janice said tonelessly. Having to order this was the most difficult thing she had ever done. All she wanted to do was throw up but she had to hold herself together and get through this.

The father uncoiled the whip and made a few practice snaps to get a feel for it. Once satisfied, he sent the tip of the whip towards the bound man. Doug screamed at the pain. The alcohol from earlier had worn off and now nothing dulled the agony he was experiencing. Another lash on his back drove him against the mast. The third stroke made him loose control of his bladder as he sobbed like a child, pleading for them to stop.

By the time the father completed the ten strokes, Doug had fainted and hung limply against the mast. The now avenged father threw the whip to the deck in disgust. "I am satisfied. Take us back to the dock, please."

* * * * *

The six hostages boarded the ship while the father and his men left.

Cierra wanted to ask what happened but Janice looked like death warmed over. She decided to ask someone else, out of the hearing of the captain. Janice told her second officer to set sail and head north then disappeared from sight.

The crew around them was eerily silent, no one speaking a word. It wasn't until the shock begun wearing off from the crew that the begun whispering about what had happened. Even though the idea of whipping a man made Cierra queasy, she knew Janice had to satisfy the man's need for revenge. It could even been worse if Doug had been arrested. He could have ended up rotting away in some rat infested jail somewhere and never heard from again. The whip had been painful but the alternatives were worse. She just hoped her men wouldn't resent Janice for doing what she had.

The crew was still subdued the next day as they went through their daily duties. No one noticed the beautiful weather and the perfect winds that carried them along the coast. Janice avoided people as best she could, stilling feeling too raw to face anyone just yet. But duties forced her into contact with people, like it or not and as the day went on it became easier. Her worst fear, that her crew would see her as some sort of monster bitch from hell, wasn't happening, and they treated her kindly. Most of the adults on board the ship knew why she had done exactly as she had.

Many of the men even thought Doug had gotten off easy. They were experienced sailors who knew the basics for proper port etiquette. He was lucky he hadn't been fed to the crocodiles by the furious father. Doug would be excused from work today but tomorrow, in pain or not, he would be expected to do his job. Few would have any sympathy for him.

Janice decided to bypass the British islands. They hadn't seen any sign of native boating at all and she doubted they had advanced enough to travel across large bodies of water yet. They were approaching the Strait of Gibraltar. The body of water was narrower than it was on Earth because of the lower sea levels. She had her crew keep their eyes on the sonar and the water. The last thing they needed was to damage the hull this far from home.

She and Nicholas drew out a rough course along the coast of Africa, choosing to stick to the southern end of the Mediterranean Sea. There would be fewer islands to avoid and the coast was easier to inspect from the ship for at least half the coastline.

Everyone tended to spend time on the decks, since everyone had hopes of witnessing the early migration patterns of the humans who traveled up from Africa. No people were actually spotted although evidence of fires could be seen on occasion. Perhaps the sight of the Wave Dancer kept the primitive people from showing themselves. They could only imagine how it appeared to people who had never seen a manmade object so large. For all they knew, the natives might think they were gods or demons.

Regardless, at least the area would provide many types of supplies unavailable elsewhere. Witnessing the migration patterns of early humans was just icing on the cake for the sea captain. She pointed to a location on the plexiglass map. "Let me know when we reach this spot. I'm hoping the beaches are still there," she winked.

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned. He knew that look. He waited until Janice left the bridge and picked up the phone to call the kitchen. His daughter picked up.

"Nerrisa, how are we set up for picnic foods?"

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