"I'd never mutiny, Cap'n. I was thinking of taking over if and when you retire. I'm perfectly happy being First Mate for the time being."
Beth hadn't thought much about retiring. It would be preferable to getting killed by some imperial swine or dying in general. She would miss the life of a pirate and some of her companions, but maybe there were other places which still needed someone like her. A revolution would be nice and perhaps there would be enough loot for her to retire at the end of this trip. She chuckled and blushed, it was a childish thought.
""Beth, you couldn't get me off this boat if you tried to throw me overboard here and now. Of course I'm coming with!"
She wasn't surprised by Sheska's answer.
"Beth, you transcended time and space to warn us of something the Empire wants. Whatever it is, it's bound to be worth something."
Jason started laughing after expressing his opinion, which she found odd, as there were nothing worth laughing at in the situation. She didn't pay it much attention though, even if it was hard to not notice.
"Yes... It better be."
"One's as good as the other t'me, I'm in all the way. Imps are always the most fun anyways. Chain, grape,"
Beth grinned when she heard Eddie's answer.
"They are indeed." It was one of the things she loved the most about being a pirate. That she was able to kill imperials, as an agitator she hadn't dared to dream about it. Now she could, and did, thoroughly enjoy it. "As if I didn't have enough reason to hate them already. My future corpse is another wrong that needs to be righted."
"You couldn't throw me off this ship if you tried. So far I've been able to perform an autopsy on your future self. Which in itself could be put into a book on the implications of meeting future selves on preventative care for patients."
Why did the doc have to bring that up again? His enthusiasm gave her a conflicting feeling of disgust and happiness.
I could throw anyone off this ship, if I really wanted too.
They'd be a doctor short if she chose him, and it wasn't that easy to find someone with medical experience, who was willing to work on a pirate ship.
"The way I see this, chief... That other 'you' never got this message, so out of all courses she may have taken that night in High Tortuga, this is the only one we can be absolutely certain she didn't - not at this point in time, anyway. Means this is the smartest, safest course for us all: the alternative got her killed."
I wouldn't be so sure about that.
All of the courses, even this one, could lead to death. Not to mention that they had just as many alternatives as her future self had. Then again, there was nothing that proved that she hadn't taken this exact course of action. After all, she did come from the future.
"I'm glad to hear that you're coming with us anyway, Jessie."
There would probably be other individuals among the crew that did opt to step off and join another crew, and serve under another captain. She couldn't blame them, but she was glad to hear that all the officers were coming with her.
"Of course not! We're pirates, and any self-respecting pirate can't resist the call of booty!"
She had been about to leave the helm, when Sheska made a passing remark about booty and looked at Isaac. Beth understood what she was implying, since Jessie was there, but she didn't like the thought of someone being made fun of under her command. Not in front of everyone at least.
"Sheska, there's no need to be jealous of others because they get more booty than you." She stole the rum bottle from her, drank some and started heading below deck to return the map to the safe. "Maybe you just need to try harder, and no excessive drinking at the helm. Not after what happened last night. The rest of you can return to your posts."
They all got the chance to view the pyramid and its surrounding skyscrapes closer, as they now passed by them. It had once been a great city, but that was long gone and replaced with ruins inhabited by beasts. When they had flown by the ruins, she heard shouting from on top of the ship, but couldn't make out the words at first.
"Imperial ship to the north!"
The ruin could have made it hard for them to spot each other. Well, either way, it seemed like she would get a chance for revenge sooner than expected.