Fuck That, I’m Going To Be A Rogue Trader Instead!: Chapter 2

The Good Captain

The day finally came that Octavian finally left the planet he called home. Pressing his hands against the view port, he sighed longingly as the vast blue sky gave way to the darkness of space. Up here, he saw the planet's beauty in all its glory. With its golden plains and deep blue oceans, Romulus truly was the shining jewel amongst the stars.

As he reminisced about the memories he made down below, he felt his Knight call upon his attention. Squeezing her hands as she held him comfortingly, he turned and found Oriane looking at him with concern in her eyes. "My lord," She whispered, "Are you sure you didn't want to stay for the funeral?" Glancing towards the glittering spire of the central hive, she reminded him, "Even if you're not the next lord, the Palace is still your home."

He glanced away at the painful reminder. His father was dead, having been found laying in his bed, unmoving and with a smile on his face as he died peacefully in his sleep. While the medicae ruled it as a natural death, he knew better. Something foul was afoot, but he couldn't speak up, not yet.

Turning back to her, he replied, "It's alright, Oriane. I already said my final goodbyes." He kept his true thoughts behind the veil of a smile, refusing to worry her any further. "Besides, I'm sure he'd rather have it be a quick and merry affair than a morose funeral," He chuckled.

As painful as it was, he couldn't look back. The only path was forward. Looking ahead, towards the bright and glittering port floating in the void, he whispered, "He hated seeing his people cry." There, floating over the dark void, was the great harbor that connected the Seven Stars of Italo; The Port of Selene.

The continent-sized station hangs over the planet, bathing it with the light bouncing of its golden spires as it orbited the planet. She was a city unlike any other, a vast crescent station from the great age of technology, and the pride of the Italo system and it served his family well. She was the center of commerce for Italo and the gateway to the greater galaxy.

From the tiny tug boats that served the gigantic freighters which carried goods from across the sector, to the proud warships that protected the system, Ships of all sizes could be seen from a distance, docking and making use of many of its refurbished facilities. Still, despite the vast number of void-faring vessels that called this their home port, none could quite compare to the queen of the harbor.

Amongst the various grand vessels was one that stood heads and shoulders. Sleek and fearsome with her fearsome lance, yet beautifully crafted with her gilded hull and elegant citadel, she was a ship unlike any other. "She's beautiful," He whispered as he beheld the beauty of his family ship, "I can see why your ancestor chose her over all the other ships, my lord."
"Indeed," His lover nodded as he joined him in his watch over the port, "And she's going to be our home in the future." The only thing worth more to a Rogue Trader than the Writ of Trade they possess and the crew they have with them was the ship they own and what a fine ship she was.

"She looks big enough for our future harem," She butted in, making him roll his eyes. Grinning, she placed her hands over her chest as she declared, "You need not worry, my love. I shall be a gracious wife and allow you to have all the concubines you wish!"

"Sometimes I think it's you that wish for a harem," He replied, making her sputter in denial. Sporting a pained look of his own, he asked, "Am I not good enough for you, my future lady wife? Are you so cruel as to leave me for another woman?"

Backed to a corner, she replied appeasingly, "N-now, now, my love. Have I not promised an eternity with you?" Leaning against him, she added, "It's just it would be cruel of me if I don't share my blessings to another woman or twelve."

He gave her a flat look before lightly smacking her on the head. "Bad Oriane," He scolded her as he nursed her head, "Back to your seat or I'll send you to the horny jail."

Pouting, the girl pulled away reluctantly. "Spoilsport," She mumbled as she sulked in her seat. Truly, he had the most troublesome of wives. He dreaded how bad it would be if he actually took on a second. He already had his hands full with one!

"Perhaps I'll find one that could satisfy us both," He offered, making her perk up. Still, despite the trouble she causes, she was easy to please. "For now however, we have more pressing matters such as the crew and more importantly, the Captain of my ship," He reminded her, changing the subject at hand.

While the servants of the castle had volunteered, they only covered the roles that supported the ship such as cleaning, cooking and much of the clerical work. He still needed to find those that could handle the menial work involved in running the ship such as serfs and experienced deck hands. Servitors could do much of the heavy lifting, but they were expensive compared to people.

Giving him an inquisitive look, his Knight asked, "Can you not captain the ship, my lord?" Pausing briefly as their shuttle shuddered and the pilot warned them of their approach, she continued, "It is your family's vessel after all."

He nodded, accepting the argument. As the ship came to a shuddering halt, he answered, "I could, but it would mean that I have to learn all the ropes." It was not that he was not up to the task, it's just that someone who was trained for the task would be better. "It'll be far easier to hire someone to deal with the headache of navigating the void and making sure the running of the ship is maintained while I deal with the other matters such as diplomacy and exploration," He pointed out.

She pursed her lips as she frowned. "While I see the logic, my lord, couldn't that lead to the crew's loyalty being divided?" She pointed out. Despite how far humanity had developed, the greatest fears of any leader still remained true to this day.

"It's certainly a possibility," He agreed, never discounting the possibility, "So we'll have to be careful in choosing." This could make or break his journey. "We'll need someone of good character and unwavering loyalty to avoid a possible mutiny," He mused as he got up. If he were to fail in finding someone he could trust, he might as well abandon this path as he would be making many such decisions in the future.

With his knight in tow, they disembarked from the shuttle and set foot upon the port. Now that they were on its surface, they could see its many wonders and flaws. While much of the original structure was left intact, there were clear separations on the old and new. Clean golden spires and monolithic buildings clashed with the sharp gothic arches of the marbled buildings lining the vast corridors.

Nevertheless, it was a wonderful sight, one made more mesmerizing with the sea of people that called it their home. It was amongst this controlled chaos that they'd find the head of port authority scolding some servants, that was until they noticed them. Shooing the servants away, they greeted him, "Welcome, welcome, my Lord!" They groveled before him, bowing their great bulk before him as a wide smile stretched across their lips, "I hope your travel was quite pleasant. Such journey's could be quite harsh as I find them myself!"

Grimacing as they blocked their way, he replied, "It was pleasant enough, Governor." Skirting past him with his knight rounding the other way, he excused himself, "You seem to be quite busy so I'll get out of your hair." He headed straight for the transport waiting for them; A carriage pulled by a mechanical horse.

Struggling to turn around, they shouted, "W-wait, my lord! Can I offer you some wine? Perhaps some Amsec!" Wiping the sweat off their forehead, they added, "We just had some imports from Cadia itself!" It was a tempting offer, but he'd rather not.

"Maybe later," He replied as boarded the carriage with his Knight. Glancing at the drive, he gestured at them to get things moving. "Kinda busy, but save a bottle for my siblings," He excused himself with a strained smile, "I'm sure they'll appreciate it!" Before the man could reply, their carriage lurched before shooting forward as the driver left them behind. It was only after their bulk was lost in the crowd that he'd let out a sigh of relief. Finally, some peace and quiet.

"He tries way too hard, my lord," Oriane commented as she shook her head, "But returning to the topic at hand, where can we find such mariners, my lord?" Grimacing as she looked back towards where they came from, "While the Merchants of Selene are certainly capable, I do not trust them."

"Nor do I," He admitted. It was something he had to learn at the top. The further up one was in the ladder, the less likely it is that they'd find good and honest people. There were exceptions to that rule, however. "Lucky for us, there is an ancient and storied institution where we could find our captain and my family just so happens to be one of their patrons," He told her with a playful tone to his voice.

As she raised a brow and gave him a questioning look, he grinned back as he asked, "How do you feel about poaching promising officers from the Imperial Navy, Oriane?"

-x-x-x-

The Admiralty, the local headquarters of the Navis Imperialis. Choosing to build their own site, the local garrison looked more like a tavern with its timber construction, but perhaps it was them harkening to their more water borne origin. Either that, or they love to drink as he'd find the large mess hall past the entrance filled with men and women as they made merry and drank heartily.

He snorted, watching them drink like there was no tomorrow. It was probably a good idea that he had Oriane meet up with the former Lord Commander, and now his Guard Commander, so that they could recruit the men. "She'd love it here," He chuckled, shaking his head. The girl does like to party.

His musing would be cut short as a stern feminine voice cut through the din, "So, you're the Rogue Trader that they kept talking about." Turning, he found the mischievous smile in the lips of the Felinid officer as she leaned a nearby post. Giving him a once over, she commented, "I expected someone a bit… taller,"

He smiled back easily as he replied, "And I expected a captain that wasn't so distracting." While he wasn't unfamiliar with the abhuman, it wasn't everyday he saw one, much less one in uniform especially for quite the elitist such as the Imperial Navy. Seeing the epaulette on her shoulder, she was not messing around.

Grinning, she teased back, "Maybe over a bottle of wine, I'll think about it." Batting her eyes at him, she sauntered over before extending a hand in greeting, "Lord-Lieutenant Amelia Smollet at your service." Standing proudly, she carried herself with poise and confidence, one that he found charming.

"Gaius Octavius of House Julli," He answered as he took her hand before planting a kiss on the back of her hand, "A pleasure." She was certainly a pleasant and welcomed surprise, one he found himself getting quite intrigued. It certainly helped that she was easy on the eyes despite her more feral feline features. With carefully tamed short hair, soft cream colored fur, and those striking green eyes, she drew his eyes and she knows it.

Pulling away, he told her, "Now while I would love to chat, I still have some business to attend to with Captain Scipio." Business did come before pleasure and he could always talk to her another time. Glancing around, he asked, "Do you know he is, perchance?"

"That's Lord Captain, sir," The woman replied with a hint of pride before their smile fell. Grimacing, she answered, "Unfortunately, he's quite busy discussing some sensitive matters with the Ecclesiarchy." He winced in sympathy for the poor man. Those of the robe can be quite uncompromising and unreasonable at times.

Smiling once more, she told him, "In his steed, he sent me ahead to make sure you didn't get into trouble sneaking inside the Admiralty."

He chuckled as he raised his hands in surrender. "In my defence, the door was wide open," He replied as he glanced towards the door. There was no guard, nor arbites manning the post; Just a door that was open for anyone to enter.

"I can see why now the Lord Captain sees it fit to have me watch over you," She sighed with a rueful smile. Shaking her head, she asked, "Now, I assume you wish to find yourself a captain for your ship, yes?"

He nodded back, glancing out of the window and up the curving horizon. Even from here, he could see her moored in her berth, just waiting for him. "She's a fine ship and I'd rather have someone who knows their way around her to pilot her," He answered before glancing back at her, "Are you perhaps interested in shifting careers? Any officer that the Lord Captain trusts is well worth their salt."

"You certainly have a future as a Rogue Trader if you're this much of a charmer," She chuckled as she covered her lip. Letting out a sigh, she shook her head as she replied, "But alas, no. While I'm his second in command, I'm not qualified to handle a ship, much less a cruiser."

Glancing at her marking, he saw that she was a Flag Lieutenant. It was quite the rank, just a step away from leading her own ship, but it was probably unlikely in her current track. Ships were often reserved for those of noble birth which included most of the Imperium, including her as well.

''Speaking of a captain, that brings me to the task at hand," She spoke up, changing the topic, "As the Captain is quite busy, I shall be the one that will help you assess and decide upon the various candidates he has prepared for you.' Tilting her head at him, she asked, "I hope that wouldn't be a problem?"

"Oh certainly not," He replied, before gesturing at the mess hall, "Now, shall we?"
"Of course," She smiled, giving him an appraising look before she sauntered ahead. "If you'll follow me," She called out and he trailed behind her, doing his best to avoid the way her tail swayed with her hips. She was rather… distracting.

"If it's a good mariner that you wish to find, you come to the right place," She shouted through the cheers as they passed through the rowdy crowd and towards the back rooms. Walking up the stairs and toward the main office, she commented, "The Navis Imperialis has the best officers that the galaxy has to offer and the Lord Captain spared no expense making sure you can pick the best."

Slipping in one of the offices, he soon found himself in a room filled with star charts and various documents. With the large, finely carved desk, and the way it overlooked the mess hall, he had an inkling on who owned this office.

Walking over to the table, she grabbed a binder before tossing it over. As he caught it, she gestured for him over as she walked to the window. Joining her, he skimmed through the file as she introduced him to the men and women the Lord Captain deemed fit. Pointing at a giant of a man, she started "First amongst his choice is Commander Marius. Brave, Ruthless and Daring, he is a man of action,"

"He looks certainly capable enough," He noted, seeing how the junior officers gravitated towards him. With his cheerful grin, he laughed and drank with his men. He could use a man like him.

"He is a veteran of quite a number of pirate hunts, having spearheaded a fair share of them in fact," She noted before she frowned, "However, I do find him to be far more reckless than is needed."

Raising a brow at her, he commented, "Some would say that is a virtue." In a galaxy where valor and bravery is glorified, it was almost strange hearing such disappointment in their words.

"Not when he endangers the lives of men and women needlessly," She fired back, "While a good ship can be repaired and salvaged, good men and women can't."

Taken aback momentarily, he soon smiled as he nodded approvingly. "Wise words," He replied appraisingly, "I can see why the Lord Commander has placed his trust on you." While he could use brave men, it was not what he needed right now. Perhaps it was someone who truly cared for those under them that he needed now.

"I try my lord," She replied as she smiled back. Turning back, she continued, "Now let's move on to the next Candidate…" Much of his afternoon would be subject to her colorful and informative commentary.