Stranded - A Pirate's Tale - part 1

29. A terrible misunderstanding

     Thirty minutes had passed already, yet they were still waiting. Alexandra had lost her patience after ten, and was now trying very hard not to kick the goddamn door down. Etienne's freedom—Etienne's life, maybe—was at stake, and she couldn't jeopardize everything just because the Harbor Master was a fat son of a bitch. She knew he was taking great pleasure in this meaningless abuse of power.

     Savy and Jade were sitting patiently though, side by side on the worn-out chairs against the decrepit wall. Every now and then they exchanged whispers, but mostly they remained annoyingly silent. Alexandra looked through the greasy window on the opposite wall, trying to kill the time—instead of the only man able to help them.

     Puerto Seguro was an ugly little town, but she couldn't deny that the view of the harbor—not the most important, but one that counted in this part of the world—and the open sea beyond, was stunning. Ships of all sizes, shapes, and colors were lined up along the piers, while others were anchored further in the bay. The Lady was out of sight, hidden by much bigger hulls, her masts lost in a forest of nude poles.

     Midday was coming up, and some of the dockers were already regrouping to share a meal after a morning of frantic activity. For a time, Alexandra had tried to spot Flow, zigzagging his way past them. In vain, of course. Hopefully, the kid had already found O'Ma and the other morons. Hopefully, they would all come back to the ship. Hopefully, they wouldn't create another disaster...

     The sound of the door finally opening brought her back to reality. She turned around to see a servant of some sort walk into the antechamber. He was old, skinny, and stooped. His wig was dusty-grey and askew on top of his conic head. Yet, he looked at the three of them with so much disdain that Alexandra clenched her fists. She felt Jade's hand on her arm. The doc knew her well.

     Without a word—but with a nasty smirk—the man showed them into the Harbor Master's office. Jade thanked him politely and went in first. Savy followed, avoiding any eye contact with the skinny servant, while he made the most of their passage to ogle them shamelessly. Alexandra exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm. She entered the office in three strides, shoving her shoulder into the man's plexus before shutting the door in his face. That proved to be useful in cooling her down a little.

     The vast office hadn't changed a bit. The floorboards, made of light driftwood, were as uneven as ever. The shelves on every wall were still bowing under books and documents, clearly sorted by an insane mind. As for the high windows—on both sides of the room—they were open on the same panorama as always: closed louvered shutters. The only one actually bringing in light was behind Javier La Choza, the Harbor Master.

      Unlike his surroundings, he had obviously changed. Sitting at his desk, he was even fatter than the last time Alexandra had the displeasure of laying eyes on him. He was now overflowing on each side of his armchair. Compressed under a tainted shirt, his tits were bigger than hers—hell, they looked even bigger than Jade's—and rested on a monstrous belly, which had embedded itself in the edge of the desk. His chin wore the most ridiculously thin goatee over a series of fleshy folds that made it look like it had merged with his torso.

     Alexandra hid her disgust with difficulty when she saw his mouth stretch into what should have been a smile. She looked away, but the faces of her mates proved that she was not the only one to be horrified. Savy's eyes were open wide over a gaping mouth, and the Doc was shaking her head concernedly, like she was looking at a dying man.

     "Ms. Stepanenko, what a pleasant surprise! It's been... what? A year already?" greeted the Harbor Master.

     Never long enough, boar!