*The unknown can be a dreadful thing, it can cause you to act in ways you never thought you ever would. For the crew of the RLS Legacy this statement could not be more true as they discover something beyond their understanding...*
The journey continued on without pause and to that Amelia could find a sense of contempt. She knew this journey was taking its toll on her beloved (Y/n), she had never seen him so anxious or uncertain.
Seeing the man who she loved, who was so headstrong and fearless so alert and startled from the slightest disturbance aboard the Legacy hurt her soul.
When she relieved him of his duties in order for him to rest. he at first refused, explaining that he must stay alert if not for himself but for the crew. Although Amelia appreciated the sentiment she could not have her helmsman staying awake at all hours of the journey.
Which is why she used her rank to order him to bed.
And after a bit of arguing he eventually relented much to her relief.
As Amelia now had time to herself beside the helm (Josiah offered to take (Y/n)'s place since a gunner's sergeant was not currently needed.)
It had been seven days since the departure. They had passed the remnants of Treasure Planet days ago but nevertheless, she admired the small fragments of the planet that floated in space for if not for those tiny remnants she would have never met the man she loved.
Not much had changed aboard the Legacy though.
Mr.Cresswell was of course impatient and spent most of his time pacing the upper deck which annoyed (Y/n) greatly, or he could be found in his quarters below reading a book or writing in his journal.
However, with the peaceful days aboard the Legacy going by, Amelia had taken her time to make her own measure of (Y/n)'s friends.
Her favorite had to be Josiah, the man was kind and patient and a bit of a jester but never at anyone's expense. The man always greeted her when she did her inspections of the deck making sure everyone did their jobs.
She usually caught the man polishing a cannon or staring at a picture of his wife and child. He had shown her the picture happily telling her of his wife and son who had just turned eight.
He was an open book but could be reserved when he wanted to be especially when it came to his friend's privacy.
She was quite surprised when the man already considered her a friend. Although she was honored truly, she was also worried for him wearing your heart on your sleeve could have dangerous consequences.
Then there was Finn he was...different.
He made her uncomfortable.
The man was blunt almost to a fault and was always smoking a cigarette, she had yet to find him without one in his mouth the whole journey. But Amelia could say that was her fault she never stayed near him for long she hated the smell of cigarettes on her sensitive nose.
The man was next to emotionless the only emotion he seemed to radiate was sarcasm and he did it well.
But she did it better.
Which seemed to infuriate the man to no end. But she could tell he had a softer side, one that he rarely showed.
Amelia had only seen it once, if not briefly. One of the larger crew members aboard had punished a younger sailor for a mistake he did not make.
Before she could interrupt the altercation the Irishman beat her to it, rushing the brute in pure fury and attacking him. (Y/n) and Josiah had to wrestle Finn away by the end of it and fix the Irishman's broken nose.
Finally, there was Mary.
Amelia didn't like her. Not a bit.
She was a hard woman to read, she kept herself away from the crowd and watched and listened. Only speaking if spoken to the sentences were usually short and right to the point.
Amelia could respect that as much as she hated to admit it.
The woman was respectful but also reclusive and anti-social which raised suspicion for Amelia. The only reason she did not keep a closer eye on the panther was that she trusted her Helmsman's judgment.
She also hated that the panther was also very attractive. Many of the men aboard turned their heads when the woman walked by which Amelia was grateful for she knew what that felt like.
For now, Amelia was going to keep an eye on the woman. Just in case.
Amelia absentmindedly listened to Josiah hum a tune to himself as she surveyed the deck and the planets and stars around them.
Whilst she admired the stars Amelia noticed the inky blackness of space grow a little darker and the stars dull a bit dimmer.
Almost as they had just cut through a veil of darkness into unknown abyss. The kind that swallowed you whole and never let you go.
Josiah noticed it too and formed a cross on his chest in cautious fear.
The crew's chattering came to a standstill as sailors start to notice the lights and lanterns on the deck dim and flicker making it harder for them to see in front of them.
Almost like a fog.
Amelia felt a shiver run down her spine.
Uncharted for a reason she supposed.
Captain Amelia cleared her throat and spoke.
"Maintain your heading Mr.Adams." Captain Amelia ordered barely keeping the shake in her voice reigned in.
Minutes passed by as the ship sailed into the darkness.
Josiah held the helm wearily, whilst Finn held the handle of his pistol as he scanned the fog.
And as things were starting to calm or be as calm as they could be under the circumstances. At one point in those unsettling minutes, one of the crewmen had accidentally kicked over a bucket onboard the ship.
The bucket tumbled with a loud clang! making Amelia jolt slightly.
Acting on reflex Finn drew his pistol and pulled back the priming hammer and pointed it right at the sailor's face.
"Sorry! Sorry!" The sailor said raising his hands in surrender.
Amelia let out a sigh shaking off her rapidly beating heart rate and desperately tried to reign in her nervousness.
Finn pulled the trigger and eased the priming hammer down and holstered the weapon and pushed the sailor out of his way. The sailor stumbled then quickly made his way back to his station.
All the while no one noticed the shadow that peeked its head over the railing.
Meanwhile below decks, (Y/n) laid in his cot staring at the ceiling above him lost in thought. He knew they had entered the uncharted stars of space, He had immediately felt the same feeling of despair he felt the first time he crossed past the border of what was known and unknown.
He briefly wondered what would come for them first.
It was going to happen, it always did. Something was going to find them eventually, he hoped it was something familiar and not something new.
But when the light in his room flickered his brows narrowed as he tried to estimate which one it was this time.
Many things caused that but only the unnatural ones could do that.
(Y/n) tried to focus on the signs reading them...the fog..the flickering lights... there were only two things that he knew of that did that.
So he closed his eyes and waited to see which greeted them first...
Amelia didn't notice them at first, they were hard to see. But if you squinted hard enough you could see their outlines.
Figures in the darkness. All floating extremely still.
"What in the universe..." Amelia murmured as she squinted her eyes as the figures grew closer.
"Ten...Twenty..forty...lord almighty what are those!?" Josiah exclaimed as the whole crew gasped in awe.
The figures were smoky ask grey and seemed as though they floated in space hung by an invisible hangman's knot all dressed in black sailor's clothes.
They were peppered throughout the sky extremely still as if they were statues.
They didn't even acknowledge the RLS Legacy as she quietly eased through the horde of shadow creatures.
Those that were high enough to touch the sails simply dissolved on one side then reappeared on the other as though it was never disturbed.
"Nobody disturbs them, they could be resting just let them pass," Amelia ordered silently then stepped out of the way of one which passed directly where she was standing a few seconds prior.
On the deck, everyone stood deathly still, only moving when one passed by.
One sailor stepped out of the way of one figure that passed by slowly. The sailor turned to watch it unaware of the second one behind him.
Its shoulder hit him hard and everything went to a standstill.
Somehow the RLS Legacy completely halted, immediately throwing a few sailors to the ground.
The figure then moved.
Slowly its head turned to face the sailor its neck cracking like charred wood as its blank face stared at the sailor.
Then it let out a roar that shook the very heavens.
The other figures reacted as well dropping onto the ship with burned and rusted swords in hand as they attacked the crew members.
The sailor pulled his pistol from his belt and fired at the creature but the energy bullet did nothing. The creature rushed him tackling him to the ground and lifted its right arm which had a dagger embedded in it.
It then mercilessly began stabbing the sailor who writhed and screamed in agony under it.
Amelia took a step back in astonishment. Horror and fear in her features, quickly she reigned it in then reached for her scabbard which held her new basket-hilted sword and unsheathed the sword and prepared to defend herself.
The crew was quickly losing the fight barely able to keep the mysterious creatures at bay. Who were relentlessly overwhelming the sailors.
(Y/n) blinked his eyes open surprise and slight anger in his features, what did they do!? Why did they disturb them! Did they have no respect!
(Y/n) stood from his cot and made his way to the stairs that led to the upper deck stepping out of the way of a headless sailor's corpse that tumbled down beside him.
(Y/N) watched in disappointment as his crew barely fought off the mysterious creatures.
(Y/n) glanced up at a figure above and laughed.
Oh hey, Cresswell was hiding in the shrouds like a coward.
Perhaps (Y/n) should throw something at him and see if he falls.
"(Y/n)!" Amelia shouted as she parried a shadow creature's strike and kicked it in the torso making it tumble down the stairs onto the main deck breaking its neck.
The creature stood up and grabbed its head then snapped it back to place then let out a hellish yell.
"Help us kill these abominations! Before they kill us all!" Amelia said frantically as she fought the same shadow creature once again.
"No, we have to leave them alone." (Y/n) stated surprising Amelia.
"What are you insane!? They struck at us first!" Amelia said fighting the monster for dominance.
"Because you provoked them." (Y/n) growled out at her.
Wait, he was mad at her for this!?
Amelia watched the man in confusion as he walked to the center of the deck.
"ENOUGH!" (Y/n) barked out halting the conflict immediately.
The shadow creatures all turned their attention to (Y/n) then yelled out their demonic cry and ran at him.
"(Y/n)!" Amelia shouted as she reached for her pistol intent to shoot the closest one to (Y/n).
The man paid her no mind. But instead began to hum.
The creatures raised their weapons to strike then immediately hesitated then lowered them.
Amelia watched in astonishment, her pistol halfway drawn from her coat as she stared at the man in confusion.
As did the rest of the crew who watched the man in wonder.
(Y/n) sang softly in a language Amelia could not recognize which seemed to quell the creature's anger as they all listened.
Then the words changed to English.
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
As (Y/n) sung the creature's lowered their heads and slowly one by one began to disappear.
Into a world unknown
A land of deepest shade
Unpierced by human thought
Amelia's jaw dropped as she stared in amazement as (Y/n) sent them away one by one as though they were friends. It was holy or at least the closest thing Amelia could imagine holy to be.
The dreary regions of the dead
Where all things are forgot
Soon as from Earth I go
Some did not go so easily and tried to fight the calling it jerked and twitched. (Y/n) took special care with the ones who fought and rested his hand on their shoulders in reassurance which made them let go.
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my fortune be!
Soon the overwhelming amount of lost souls had disappeared to just a small few, who tried to fight to the afterlife but were slowly relenting choosing to leave the mortal realm.
Waked by the trumpet sound
I from my grave shall rise
And see the Judge with glory crowned
Only one spirit remained, standing at the end of the deck still not giving in, a Captain's hat rested on its head.
And see the flaming skies...
(Y/n) finished the verse and approach the Captain who lifted its sword overhead attempting to strike him down but couldn't.
The sword slipped from its ashen hands and clattered to the deck behind it as it looked down and finally gave in.
(Y/n) pulled it into a hug which it did not reciprocate not that it mattered.
"Your time is over Captain, Your duties have been relieved. You are free to return home." (Y/n) said as he separated himself from the embrace then rested his hand on its shoulders as though it was his brother.
The Captain nodded slowly then reached up and gently plucked the cavalier hat from its head, a pale white feather rested pinned between the folded brim and the hat itself.
It gave the hat to (Y/n) then turned on its heel and departed into the afterlife disappearing into the fog.
The fog receded around the ship and left the crew of the RLS Legacy in awestruck silence.
(Y/n) looked down at the cavalier hat for a moment fondly before turning it over and resting it on his head.
He walked past Amelia who stared at him in shocked silence.
As he reached the helm with Amelia following him still stuck in awestruck silence he gently eased Josiah out of the way who nodded and stepped aside.
Finally, the words formed in Amelia's mouth.
"What in the name of the stars and the universe and galaxy did you just do!?" Amelia asked the man who looked over at her with a forlorn expression.
"Those were the lost souls of pirates who died out here. I just sang them a song to help them home." (Y/n) explained as Amelia blinked still trying to process the information.
"Where did you learn that? How did you know it would work!?" Amelia asked
"It's an old hymn we pirates sang for our dead, it did not matter who for we are all brothers." (Y/n) said softly.
Amelia hummed and stared at the hat on (Y/n)'s head.
"That Captain he whispered something to you what did he say to you before he...departed?" Amelia asked hesitantly.
(Y/n) glanced at Amelia and let a forlorn smile cross his face.
"That is not my secret to tell."
"For dead men tell no tales..."
*Pretty good if I do say so myself. I decided to introduce what I thought happened to sailors who died in the stars and were never found and how to release them. If you guys want to know the hymn (Y/n) sang it's called Idumea By Sacred harp singers it was featured in the American civil war film Cold mountain neither of which I own which would be awesome if I did but I chose it because of its sad theme I thought would fit the atmosphere.
I wanted to show how much care (Y/n) has for the dead despite his attitude and ideals in the past.
Tell me what you thought!
-Jet(The_Inquisitor)*