by Alistair Marquise

Created on: August 06, 2010   Last Updated: November 20, 2010

All around him were the sounds of his machinations; the clattering of cutlasses, the wet noises of stomachs being run through, the occasional discharge of a pistol, the screams of dying men.  Here and there he could make out the splash of dead weight as it was tossed overboard.  Yes, and though he himself made not a sound as he snaked his way through the arcs of hot blood and piles of disemboweled carcasses on his way to the Captain’s quarters, it was he who owned this violent cacophony all the same.

This was Tristan’s mutiny.

It had been no difficult task to sway a good portion of the ship’s men to his side.  These were pirates after all, not scholars, and so were driven by the very basest desires of men.  These were men who, for a handful of coins, would garrote their own mothers.  In the end, it seemed that all he had to do was promise them that their purses would be heavier, their rapes more satisfying, and their victories more glorious under his leadership rather than the flaccid direction of their current captain.  He recalled one whispered speech in particular, given by the glow of dim lamplight, where he had promised the men that though they were a filthy gang of brigands and thugs, they could still live life with honor if they simply chose to follow him.  Tristan remembered this speech well, for he had almost completely bitten through his lip to keep from laughing.

Tristan’s recollection was cut short however, by the bellowing call to combat made by the Captain from the deck above.

“Tristan!” he called, chest puffed, sword drawn “Vile dog!”

Tristan spun elegantly to face the Captain.  He did not draw his sword.

“Face me with honor you mutinous bastard!” the Captain demanded, but the duel was not to take place.  Tristan smiled as the rusty blades of two of his mutineers presented themselves bloodily from the Captain’s chest.  The Captain gurgled and fell forward, down to the deck below.  Tristan rolled the Captain’s body over with his boot and spit on him.

“Captain,” he said triumphantly “we are pirates.  For men such as us, there is no honor.”   

Learn more about this author, Alistair Marquise.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.