The Adventurous Ero Path of a Sailor

PROLOGUE

Off in a far corner of the world, many miles away from what most people would consider civilization, a woman studied an ancient text as her elderly companion rested beside her.

So many years of searching had led her to this point, right on the cusp of finding the one person who could truly change the world forever. The person that was prophesied to retake a vacant throne and defeat an ancient enemy for all time.

At least, that was what the sacred text of prophecy told her. It was the cause to which she had dedicated her life, and everything was now coming to a head quickly.

If the prophecy was correct, he was coming.

Her companion noticed the passage she was observing. "Do you think he'll actually come?"

She nodded her head eagerly. "He has to. The prophecy hasn't been wrong yet."

"Can you feel him yet?"

Her head lowered and then shook back and forth. "Not yet. But we will. I know we will."

Her companion didn't say anything further. He went back to tending the fire that was in front of them.

The woman stared deep into the pit of the fire. "The king is coming. And with his arrival, everything will change."

***

PRESENT DAY

"Commander Easterbrook, we need you on the bridge at once, sir."

Jack Easterbrook's eyes popped open. After a quick look at his surroundings, he turned his head to face his subordinate, Lieutenant Mark "Twitch" Buckner.

"Give me a minute, Twitch."

Twitch nodded and closed the door gently. One thing that Jack liked about the man was that he took direction remarkably well. Some of his past deputies would take the opportunity to yammer on about some problem or perhaps even attempt to chastise him for catching a nap, but Twitch never did. It was the reason why Jack kept him around.

Jack swung his legs over the bed and planted them firmly on the ground beneath him. His quarters were quite spartan with only the bed, a desk and chair, and a cabinet for his belongings occupying the tiny space. It wasn't much for the quarters of the commanding officer but the Valiant wasn't meant to be flagship anyway.

Jack grabbed his service cap and took a brief moment to glance in the mirror at his reflection. As he ran his hands through his short, blond hair, he noticed his deep-blue eyes still held tinges of exhaustion. The rest of his face was no better as he had two days' worth of stubble in his beard.

Thankfully, there was no one onboard who would dare criticize him for his appearance, but he also knew he'd have to look impeccable when they came into port in a couple days.

After he put his cap on his head, Jack crossed the floor and left his quarters. He'd been stationed in the stern of the ship just above the propellers. That meant it took him a few minutes to cross to the middle of the vessel where the bridge was located. Along the way he passed numerous sailors going about their daily tasks.

At this time of morning the machinists could be found hard at work on the lower decks, while the higher he got the more maintenance work could be seen. He passed one sailor applying a touch-up to some damage in a portside railing and another cook scurrying about as he was late for the start of breakfast.

"Good morning, Sir!"

"Commander Easterbrook."

"Morning, Commander."

Jack nodded to all of them as the sailors ran about doing their tasks. It pained him to know that he didn't know most of the names of the men on the Valiant. He'd only been put in charge of this two ship squadron three weeks prior when they left their home port of Aberdeen. He just hadn't had the time to learn all their names so he mostly greeted them by their rank.

"Good morning, Petty Officer."

"Great work, Seaman."

Jack arrived at the bridge a short while later and he grabbed the railing to climb into the command center. A gust of smoke erupted from the smokestack above him and quickly dissipated into the calm air.

Twitch was waiting for him at the top of the railing. "Sir, they're ready for you."

"Excellent. Thank you, Lieutenant." Even though Jack was comfortable enough with the man to call him by his nickname, he tried not to do it around the other commanding officers of the Valiant. A good deputy like Twitch deserved the extra respect.

Jack entered the bridge and felt the immediate attention of several pairs of eyes landing on him. All activity ceased at once as each person turned to await the words of their leader.

"At ease," Jack said as his eyes took in each person in turn. First up was the head of weapons division, Lt. Bill Norman. Norman was middle-aged, and judging from the fit of his uniform, he was a few pounds overweight. The man still had a relentless and piercing stare—the look of a true sailor.

To his right was Lt. Kimberly Cross, head of operations division. Cross was one of the younger officers and still in her twenties. She had auburn-red hair and was extremely capable.

Next to Cross was Lt. Victor Star who was the head of engineering division and in charge of keeping the ship running. Despite being the same age as Jack, Star was already graying around the temples. He was a quiet and reserved man but also very competent.

The last man to come into view was Lt. Commander Luke Ravencross, the commander of the Valiant. Luke was a man that Jack knew well, being only two years ahead of him in the naval academy. His reputation was well-known too as Luke was one of the most aggressive commanders in the entire Javan navy. A boisterous fighter, Luke was always in the thick of the action.

"Commander Easterbrook," said Luke while nodding to his superior officer.

"What's going on? Why did you have me summoned from my quarters?" Jack asked, looking into each face in turn.

Lt. Cross was the first to step forward and Jack noticed she held a pair of binoculars in her hand. "We thought you'd want to see this, sir." She handed over the pair and walked to the corner of the bridge that faced the starboard side. "Look out over that way past the lifeboats. Toward the horizon."

Jack pressed the tool to his eyes and scanned the open seas. That far out, it was difficult to distinguish where the sea ended and the sky began. Soon enough his gaze fixed on something that wasn't part of the ocean. His heart rate spiked.

"What are they?"

Lt. Commander Ravencross stepped forward. "It's hard for us to tell at this distance but they appear to be Occitanian."