"A`ight, switch to sails. Time for boiler maintenance!"

　　 "You didn`t say it right."

　　 "Damn you and your sailor talk, you know what I mean. I`m an engineer! Let me do my job, you do yours!"

　　 By that time, the conversation derailed into a fit of insults and colourful cussing. The engineer stood his ground alone as he lobbed verbal bombs on his opponents, and the sailors ganged up together to pepper him with a volley of crude barbs. Keeping well out of the conflict were the small group of scientists who huddled together, waiting for the shouting to cease. Before setting sail on the Steamship Serendipity, these gentlemen had never heard such verbal abuses spoken before.

　　 "Oh thank the heavens!" one of the scientists said, breathing a sigh of relief. The others looked at him with hope and curiosity written across their faces. He nodded to the wheel barometer. "The air pressure has been dropping rapidly."

　　 "Thank heavens? That means a storm is on its way!" another said in exasperation.

　　 "Yes, and I`d much rather my ears be filled with the roar of a storm than with the braying of this drove of asses." The one who had just spoken was Baldovo. He was the exception to the rule that the privileged classes were always refined and proper. However, his mannerisms were much more tolerated by the rest of the expedition team.

　　"Well, shouldn`t someone tell them so that they can prepare?" asked Volente, whose nerves were the most delicate and less suited for the voyage. Nonetheless, he was here, equipped with his smelling salts, cologne-drenched handkerchiefs, and herbal infusions he claimed to cure all seasickness. The very mention of the storm coming seemed to have cast a green pallor over the reedy man.

　　"And spoil their fun?" Baldovo responded, sitting back and placing his hands behind his head.

　　"We are all in the same ship. It sinks, we sink together," intoned the brassy baritone of Colto, his existence defying the preconception that all scientists were noodle-armed men with barely enough muscle to hold their twiggy frames together. Instead, he was broad shouldered, muscular, square-jawed, and swarthy in complexion. Rising to the occasion, he left to bravely interject himself into the argument the crew were having. Baldovo applauded his gusto, and Volente grabbed his handkerchief and held it over his face.

　　A new explosion erupted after Colto had said a few quiet, but firm words to the captain. But, despite all of their yelling, they nonetheless worked in unison towards a common goal. They were talented at multitasking, getting their jibes in while keeping their hands busy. Their efforts paid off, for the storm the following morning was intense but they weathered it splendidly. Although it held scientist and sailor alike in awe, it was the events afterwards that perplexed the group most.

　　After the storm had died out, the crew worked on cleaning and maintenance. A calm had settled in until one of the men called out and pointed frantically towards something floating in the open sea. At first, a few of the sailors dismissed it as debris, likely from the islands in the distance. However, the man who had spotted it insisted it was a person. After several men had passed the spyglass around, a decision was made to alter their course and investigate.

　　The decision proved fruitful indeed. A single person was pulled from a pile of wreckage, bundled and tangled in a thick blanket. It took some time to unravel the unfortunate soul, who, to everyone`s surprise, was a woman. The elements had made their mark, for she was red and blistered, chapped and waterlogged. After a brief argument whether to dump her back into the sea or bring her along, she was taken to the cabins and stripped of her wet clothes and placed in a warm, clean cot.

　　The three scientists sat in a circle in the mess, glancing in the direction of the cabins. "We might have competition. It could be another expedition had come before us to observe the phenomena near the Blazing Crescent," Volente offered helpfully.

　　"Doubtful," Colto puffed out a ring of smoke from his pipe. "There would have been more debris."

　　"I`m afraid I`m inclined to agree." Baldovo relented. "She looked like she was drifting on the remains of a small fishing boat."

　　"Could it have been a tender or lifeboat instead?" Volente inquired further.

　　Baldovo let out a short bark of a chuckle, then wafted away the smoke from Colto`s pipe as it reached him. "What does it matter if someone else got here first? They won`t be returning, and therefore we snatch the victory by default." Both Colto and Volente stared at Baldovo, Colto with contempt and Volente with wide-eyed shock. Neither gaze seemed to make an impact. "I am sure we will hear the woman`s explanation as soon as she is well. And then we can pick apart her explanation to our satisfaction."

　　After the initial wave of novelty had passed, the woman was left to recover, and the SS Serendipity resumed its course. Its purpose was to study the harsh weather conditions around an arc of volcanic islands with the express aim of finding a passage through. A pass had been charted generations prior, but after a series of violent eruptions, it was no longer accessible. It was commonly believed that the islands of this archipelago were uninhabited. Beyond this barrier, however, was verdant land with abundant resources and trade opportunities. While many tried not to get their hopes too high, several were secretly convinced the woman they fished out of the ocean was from the other side.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　When the aforementioned woman had recovered enough to speak, she said very little at first. Questions were asked, but her answers were often vague or deflected. Language wasn`t a barrier, although she had a different accent. Most of the crew got to calling her Red due to the colour of her hair.

　　Once Red`s strength had returned to her, she was pitching in as best as she could. She helped mostly in the mess, falling in line with the crew`s pecking order with peculiar ease. There were times it felt as if she had been there the whole voyage, for she had an art of making herself present but hardly noticed. She was no stranger to hard work, and yet once the shuffling gait of illness wore off, she moved with lady-like grace. The more the crew saw of her, the more she puzzled them, particularly the scholars on board.

　　As the expedition was exhausting its resources with mixed results, frequently being argued over by the three researchers, the Captain decided it was time to head back to port. With this decision came another matter - what to do with the woman they pulled out of the sea. Determined to get some answers, he summoned her to his quarters. When she arrived, she paid him all the respects due and then looked at him silently, waiting for him to speak first.

　　"You have been with us a while, now," Captain Galli began, folding his gloved hands behind his back as he surveyed her response. `Red` gave no response, but looked at him attentively with her large grey eyes. "We are heading back to Floratti, a port in my homeland of Lomany. Do you know where that is?"

　　Silence was the woman`s initial response, but after a blank span, she nodded. `Red` looked at a map on the wall and pointed to the correct location.

　　"So you can read?" The woman nodded again. With greater scrutiny, the Captain`s gaze travelled over the bedraggled woman. She was short. Although her shoulders were narrow and sloped, her figure spread out into wide hips and thick, sturdy legs. One might even call her stout. Captain Galli had worried her presence on board would distract his men, but when she wore a cap and the loose work clothes, it was sometimes easy to forget she was a woman. That was until she smiled. There was something feminine and warming when she did, which shone through even when her face was smeared with soot and grime. "While you are on this ship, you are under my protection. But once we reach port, that will end. I need to know some things about you so I can help you when we get there."

　　Once again, the woman paused. She looked down, her eyelids drooping over her eyes without fully closing. After thrusting out her weak chin, she looked up again with a focused stare. "What do you need to know?"

　　"Where are you from?"

　　"Siperon."

　　 At this, the Captain`s eyes widened before a smile creased his face. "So you are from beyond the Blazing Crescent." The Captain seemed pleased about getting confirmation at last. Whether she was Siperian or not had been a heated debate among some of the crew. He stepped closer. "And now, tell me, are you an exile or someone in need of asylum?"

　　For a moment the woman`s expression was unreadable. She stared at the Captain. No. Through him, as though an answer lay beyond. It time, and a few prompting gestures from the Captain, for her to utter a response. "No."

　　"Is there a specific place you are trying to get to?" The woman shook her head again. With a sigh, Captain Galli continued his questions. "Do you have any contacts outside of Siperon?" Another head shake answered his question in the negative. "Well, then, what were you doing out at sea?"

　　The woman`s eyes darted side to side and lines creased her forehead. She seemed deep in thought at these questions. "I was fishing on the wrong side of the island. Then the storm came."

　　"Is there a right side of the island?"

　　"Yes. The side facing the bay," the woman responded in a matter-of-fact tone, and a slight cant of her head suggested she considered this to be an obvious answer. When the Captain squinted at her, she immediately straightened up. "The waters are much calmer on the eastern side."

　　"And which island do you speak of?" Captain Galli prodded, now that he was getting more words out of her.

　　The woman paused, uncomfortable at the question and she began to fidget with the end of the cording she used as a makeshift belt. The Captain crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Seeing this mark of impatience, she looked up at him. "I promised I would keep the island a secret."

　　"Promised who?"

　　"I also promised not to speak of them."

　　The captain stroked at his beard, some mild frustration toiling despite his efforts to be patient with the woman. "Alright. What is it you expect to happen when we get to port? Will you want to live in Lomany?"

　　At this the woman ceased fiddling with her belt and instead laced her fingers together, laying them over her midriff. "I have no expectations, sir." Her face became pensive for a moment, before she continued to speak. "Maybe it is time I be more straight with you. You have been good to me. I will tell you a little about myself." The Captain raised his bushy eyebrows, nodding for her to continue. "My name is Trosyn Nytt. I was born in the slums of Roneon, in the Kingdom of Ayakonia. I belonged to no prominent family, trade, or guild. I fought on the losing side of a civil war. Most of my life I did what I could to survive. But I wanted more. I wanted to thrive. This desire has led me to where I am now. I was tangled in things bigger than me, some of them dangerous. But I am not a danger to you or anyone in Lomany. If I have the option to live a simple life, I will take it gladly. If that can be found in Lomany, I will stay in Lomany. If not, I will move on." Trosyn seemed to deflate under her baggy clothing and looked down. "I know I do not belong, but I do not need to belong. I just wish to be."

　　It was a while before the captain could form a response. She had been tight-lipped until that point, and suddenly she was sharing more about herself than mere facts. "I see. That is all for now. Good weather permitting, we will reach Floratti in just over two weeks. You are dismissed, Red." Pause. "Unless you would prefer to be called Trosyn or Miss Nytt."

　　"Red is fine, sir," Trosyn responded. She wasn`t sure whether to bow, curtsy, or salute - and instead did all three before spinning around and walking out the door. The crows feet at the edge of the captain`s eyes deepened with the grin he wore beneath his beard.