The Adventurous Ero Path of a Sailor

Pushing open the door, Jack came face to face with a dark-haired, brown-eyed man. His features were typical of Java and Jack guessed he was somewhere in his late thirties. The man didn't offer a smile but instead pursed his lips at the sight of the young commander.

"Major Greg Vaughn?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir, you found him."

Jack thrust his hand out. "I'm Commander Jack Easterbrook."

Greg noticeably relaxed and then reached out to take his hand with a hearty shake. "Good to meet you, Commander. I apologize about my tense reaction just now. I thought you were yet another crew member telling me about some trouble my boys were in."

Jack chuckled. "They do seem to be a rowdy bunch, don't they?"

"Finest Marines in all of Java, sir," said Greg with a grin.

"Glad to hear it," said Jack while taking a seat in front of the major's desk. "I have to ask your forgiveness as well for it taking me so long to get down here in person. I thought running two ships was bad until they gave me command of another one."

Greg nodded. "Nothing to forgive, sir. Besides, I've gone whole deployments without so much as seeing the commander so you're off to a better start than most anyway."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "A whole deployment? That's not my command style. I prefer to know the officers on my ships. By the way, call me Jack, will you? No need for all the formality away from the crew."

Greg cast an eye to Twitch before settling back on Jack. "I can do that, Jack. And call me Greg as well. I have to say—you're a rather open-minded officer. I swear most officers get a hard-on for using their formal titles."

Jack started to chuckle. "I've known my fair share of officers like that but I like to think you can't get to know someone when you're still being formal."

"Well then, Jack, I think we're going to get along just fine," said Greg with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the table.

"So tell me about you, Greg. What made you enlist in the Marines?"

"That's a complicated answer right there, I'm afraid," said Greg.

"What's the short answer then?"

Greg assumed a sheepish look. "I got caught sleeping with the mayor's daughter in my hometown and needed a quick out."

Jack started to laugh. "Hold up, I might need the long answer now."

"I knew you were going to say that," said Greg, holding up his hands. "In my defense, she came on to me. She was also married and had several children but when a hot cougar grabs your dick in the bar, you just go for it."

Jack nearly doubled over from laughing but Greg kept going. "Anyway, the next morning I see all these kid's toys on the way to the bathroom and when I hit the kitchen, I saw her father there. Let's just say he wasn't too pleased to see me wearing just a pair of briefs."

"I bet he was steamed," said Jack.

"Oh, he was. Anyway, he vowed to make my life hell and said he'd make sure I'd never get a respectable job anytime soon. I panicked and did the only thing I could think of and made my way to the Marine recruiter's office. You can say it's been sunshine and daisies since then."

Jack finally finished laughing. "So what do you do when you go back to see your family? Or have you been back home since?"

"I go back all the time. Thankfully, I think he's forgotten about me, but he is still the mayor. After all, not much changes in my town of Lockhaven."

Jack sat up a little straighter. "Did you just say Lockhaven?"

"Sure did. Ever heard of it?"

"Heard of it?" Jack asked with a chuckle. "That's where I grew up."

"No shit! What part?"

"Just on the south side of the city. Not more than ten minutes from the shore," said Jack.

Greg smacked his desk. "I grew up on the west side! Near Lake Chamberlain."

"That's like ten minutes from our family home."

"I don't get to meet a lot of Lockies in the service," said Greg before rubbing his chin. "So what's your story? How'd you end up in the navy?"

Jack looked out the port window to the sea before answering. "I'm not quite sure to be honest. Something about the sea has always called to me. You can say I don't feel quite myself when I'm on dry land. My father used to take me fishing regularly when I was a boy and my favorite place in the entire world was that fishing boat. You can say it was ingrained in me from a young age."

Greg nodded slowly. "So I'm guessing he approved of your idea to join the navy?"

"I don't think so," said Jack with a chuckle. "Both of my parents hated the idea. They didn't want me fighting for the empire. Anyway, they weren't disappointed for very long."

"Why's that? Did they eventually come around?"

Jack shook his head. "No, they died shortly after."

"Sorry to hear that, Jack."

"Ancient history, Greg. Anyway, once they were gone, I felt like I had to get out and away from home. My sister went to live with our grandparents until she was old enough to move out, and I've rarely been back since," said Jack.

"I bet your sister probably misses you then."

Jack shook his head and smiled. "She's got a whole host of rugrats now that I doubt she has time to miss me."

Both men chuckled for a moment before it slowly fizzled out. Jack cleared his throat and looked to change the subject. Talking about his family was something that usually took a lot out of him. Thankfully, Greg seemed to sense this when he spoke up next.

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