I stumbled into the admiral’s office late, disheveled, and maybe a little intoxicated. He glared at me in contempt and I couldn’t hold back a smirk. This was the seventh time in seven days that I had been called before Admiral Rarith. I could see him curling his hand into a fist and my smirk grew to a grin.

“Ah, ah, ah,” I wagged a finger, reprimanding him. His hand unfurled but his face remained contorted as before, “Well isn’t that better now? Now we both know that you are well within your rights to be angry at me, but the Reagent? Poor Callon will be forced to hear of the unorthodox assault of the General Knux Vaneson’s son. Then your job will be on the line and the war hero’s son will be the victim.
“Now admiral, I have no qualms about seeing you go. I’m tired of being a lieutenant and there are plenty of captains here that would be more than willing to promote me if you were to fall out of favor. My father likes you though, for whatever reason, and I don’t want to incur his wrath. So, let’s just put all of this behind us like we always do and save us both a lot of trouble.”
“You are a narcissistic little brat Miles and if it wasn’t for your father I would have never allowed you anywhere near my ship. You’re lazy, arrogant, and insubordinate,” the admiral spat back at me and I waited patiently for him to give his spiel, “Your father would be ashamed if he saw you today.”
“If you don’t remember, my father is a lot like I am. He just doesn’t have anyone above him anymore,” I sat down in front of the admiral’s desk and put my feet up, “Eventually it’ll be that way here too, one day I’ll have your job. It’s only a matter of time admiral; everyone knows I’m better suited for the position than any of your captains, maybe even better suited than you.
“You’re all just afraid of me, but you’re getting older and I’m young, fresh, and famous. Mine’s a face that can be presented at parties and a mind that can outmaneuver every enemy. Mine’s a voice that can resound throughout the ship I command. You’re washed up admiral, everyone knows your tactics. It’s a wonder you haven’t failed yet.”
The admiral grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me up to meet his face. His eyes were filled with hatred and I responded with a bored expression. “If you’re trying to intimidate me, it isn’t working,” I maintained eye contact with the much larger older man and waited. He finally released my shirt and turned his back to me, “If that’s everything…”
“Get out,” the admiral cut me off. His voice was weary and sad, not as angry as I had hoped for but you can’t win them all.
“I’ll take my dinner at the usual time,” I said, smiling as I turned to leave, “Try to make it something a little more tolerable this time. I won’t eat filth.”
I emerged on the docks of Rynne Onian, the capital city of Nifaria, and wrinkled my nose in disgust. I had always hated water and the smell of the ocean but my father had insisted that I join the navy. He wanted our family to be the most powerful in Nifaria maybe, or perhaps he just wanted to get rid of me. I didn’t have to stay anymore but I didn’t have anywhere else to go and I had come to expect a certain standard of living since being here. If a better opportunity presented itself I would not turn it down.
“So, once again you test the admiral to his limits and return to the world unscathed,” my commanding officer, Captain Celestia, took stride beside me. I loathed her. She was intelligent, strong, brave, and to some perhaps beautiful. She had blond hair and her skin was tanned from all the time she spent in the sun. I hated her because she thought she could order me around, that and she may have rejected my early advances on her, “You continue to amaze me Mr. Vaneson.”
“Not enough I’m afraid,” I looked her up and down and she slapped me. That was another thing from her. She didn’t put up with me like everyone else was forced to. She wasn’t afraid of my father like everyone else was and she definitely wasn’t afraid of me, “Ow.”
“You’re a pig Miles,” Celestia glared at me, the same glare her father the admiral had given me only moments before. I probably should have mentioned that she was the admiral’s daughter. That didn’t help my chances with her, “Any other officer and you…”
“Any other officer and they would be eating out of my hands,” I scoffed at her and she conceded the point to me, “Your father placed me under your command because you’re the only one who has any control over me.”
“And very little at that,” Celestia replied, rolling her eyes in disdain. There was something about her that I found alluring. Maybe it was because she was the only one who gave me any difficulty, I liked a challenge, “Quit looking at me like that or I’ll have you flogged.”
“How does he do it?” Celestia’s quartermaster, Thomas Quintius, found his way into our conversation. If I could tolerate one person in this navy it was him. He wasn’t submissive like every other sailor but he didn’t think was better than me either, and I respected him for it, “Every day he walks into your dad’s office looking worse and worse and comes out with a smile on his face. This man is either very smart or very lucky.”
“Why can’t I be both?” I accepted the compliment graciously and glanced over at our new companion.
“Because you’re neither,” there it was, that sharp tongue, Captain Celestia was something else. I started falling behind to walk beside Quintius, “Oh no you don’t, back up here beside me; I will not have you walking behind me.”
“Whatever you say ma’am,” I grinned my cocky grin and Quintius laughed, “So what’s the itinerary for today Captain? Practice skirmishes or do we get the day off?”
“You’re always looking for a day off aren’t you Miles,” Celestia shook her head as we approached the second largest warship in the docks, the Firestorm. The captain was the first up the plank and I followed close behind, “With Syvimara extending his army dangerously north, the admiral wants us to start patrolling the waters farther south than we currently do. This means more ships will be utilized at a time. Mr. Quintius chart us a course.”
“Aye Captain,” Thomas called back as he unrolled a map and took the helm. Captain Celestia and I stood off to either side of him. Celestia bent over the map and scrutinized it with Quintius. I leaned against the railing of the quarterdeck and watched her.
“I hope you’re doing a little more than admiring the view lieutenant,” Celestia reprimanded and I smirked in response. She was fiery this one.
“One day soon Captain you will be more receptive to my advances,” I turned and began calling orders to the crew. They worked like a well-oiled machine. Ours was famously known as the best crew in the Nifarian navy. They were smart and strong; they did well with orders and could improvise if needed.
“I hope you don’t have your hopes too high,” Celestia stood to her full height and Thomas took over at the wheel. Before long we were out in the harbor and off on another sickening adventure.
The ocean and I didn’t get along very well, the crew always joked that I didn’t have sea legs. I always got sea sick at the beginning of every voyage and found myself once again with my head over the side of the ship. The incessant rocking drove me mad and all that could be seen in any direction was the lapping of the waves.
“This is my favorite part of every expedition Miles,” Celestia laughed at me and I glared over the side of the galleon. I would have glared at her but I wasn’t sure if I could turn my head back in time, “You’re quiet and miserable, exactly how you should be.”
I regained my constitution after about an hour and found my way back beside Thomas and Celestia. “You look terrible,” Quintius looked at me with a concerned expression. He always pretended that he cared but I knew he wasn’t actually being sympathetic, “No wait, that’s how you always look.” There it was.
“Shut up or I’ll make you walk the plank,” I growled as I braced myself on the quarterdeck’s balustrade and barked unnecessary orders at the sailors. I just wanted them to be miserable along with me.
“Don’t worry about him Thomas,” Celestia countered me and I glared at her, “You can say whatever you’d like.”
There was one thing I liked about being at sea and that was the isolation. I didn’t feel tied to anything out here, I felt free. Celestia was also less strict with me at sea; she let me take the lead with the men for the most part. She knew that I knew what I was doing but when necessary she always stepped in.
Time seemed to pass differently out here. Maybe it was because of the apparent lack of progression but time was slower on the ship. The only way to pass the time was either to work or socialize. I was not very inclined to either option but eventually I submitted to socializing. Today however promised to be a little more interesting.
Long after I gave up on keeping track of time we spotted a ship in the distance. It flew the colors of the human region to our south. We’d never seen a war vessel this far north and this deep in our waters.
I leaped onto the ships railing and held onto the rigging for support as we came alongside the ship. “You are not authorized to be in these waters,” I shouted across to the other ship, “Turn back the way you came or you will be fired upon.”
Then I saw the sailors on the ship. They all wore black masks over their faces, an infamous symbol of Syvimara’s navy. More importantly though, they were loading their cannons.
I shouted orders to the crew, spurring them out of their lull and into action. They worked as quickly as possible to get us out of range. Quintius tried to maneuver the ship out of harm’s way in the most convenient way possible but it was too late. The ship abreast of us opened fire.
The Firestorm sustained heavy damage but we were still moving and prepared for retaliation. I shouted commands as Quintius masterfully sailed the war galleon. It took me only a moment to realize what was wrong.
Time seemed to slow for me as I turned to my right. Captain Celestia was lying on the deck under a pile of debris. She was clutching at a wound on her side. I sprinted to her and called desperately for a medic as I dug her out of the wreckage.
“Careful Miles,” her breaths were staggered and choppy, her voice was frail and weak, and her skin was pallid and sickly, “Someone might think you actually cared about someone other than yourself.”
“Nah,” I could feel my eyes beginning to water. This didn’t happen, not to me. I didn’t actually care about her and certainly not enough to cry over her. She was my commanding officer, that was all, “I’m just worried that the next captain I get will be a lot less attractive.”
Celestia choked out a laugh and I felt the first hot, wet tear fall down my face. “You’re a good person Miles, I know you are,” I felt her hand against my face, brushing the tear away. I stared at her, bewildered, “Please be the man that I know you can be. For me, stop pretending.”
The tears fell more steadily now but I stopped noticing them. “Celestia…,” my voice trailed off as she raised her head and weakly pressed her lips to mine.
“That’s an order,” those were her last words as she fell back against the wooden floor. Her eyes stared blankly at nothing and I pressed the lids shut. I couldn’t look at her. I stared blearily out at the sea as the medic finally made his way to me. He checked for a pulse and tried what he could, but I knew he was already too late. I picked up her lifeless body and carried it to her quarters.
“Miles,” Thomas called to me, not intending to say anything else. He just let me know that he was there. The tears were gone, the sadness remained but then I realized that the sadness was always there. She was right, I didn’t even know who I was; I was too busy pretending. Celestia had known, but she was gone now.

I stood in the admiral’s office not late, not disheveled, and not even a little intoxicated. His face showed no emotion, which was when you knew he was the angriest. He was focusing on his professional life and putting his personal life aside. This was the eighth time in eight days that I had been called before Admiral Rarith. I stood at attention, waiting for him to make the first move.
“Your actions should be commended Lieutenant,” the admiral’s voice was stern and rough, like it always was but it seemed to be missing something, “You saved a lot of lives with your decisive actions today.”
“Thank you Admiral,” I replied quietly, hands behind my back, feet shoulder width apart.
“The Firestorm was irreparably damaged. It’s amazing you made it back to shore,” he didn’t sound very amazed, “You and your crew will be sent to new ships as soon as possible. You’ll basically be starting over, I hope that isn’t too big of an inconvenience.”
“No Admiral,” the responses were unconscious and without thought.
“The sailors lost will be given full honors and…,” Rarith’s voice trailed off and he stared down at his desk. He seemed to be looking at his papers but I expected he was probably crying.
“Admiral,” my voice surprised even me. It was cold and hollow instead of sarcastic and bright. The admiral raised his head from the papers on his desk and looked me over, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” his tone hadn’t changed at all but the words seemed softer than before, “You’re dismissed.”