Snippet #1320145

As William waited for a reply the deck suddenly exploded with noise and activity. The Captain jumped from his seat, nearly running for the door and only a few steps behind Miss Whitmoore. What he saw when as he left his cabin astonished him. Elric Rolance was standing facing Mr. Thomas, a marine on the ground clutching his face as he held on to another one with a pistol pointed to his head.

"What the hell's going on here!?" Whitmoore asked, obviously confused by what was happening just as the captain was.

"This man was refusing to cooperate, so I order the men to detain him in one of the cells. He attacked." William's first officer's voice quivered with rage. He cared for the crew almost as much as William himself, and his famed anger was obviously at full blaze. William turned his gaze to Elric, the ever present love in his eyes now masked by cold, steely anger.

"Well Mr. Rolance, I hope you are happy." William's voice was ice cold and had a very dangerous edge. "Whatever chance you ever had of serving as a member of the crew of this ship as just vanished. You see, I cannot have a man that will put his own selfish needs above those of the ship and crew. You now hold that man's life in your hands. Only you can decide whether he lives or dies. But I assure you that if you kill him you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the Laws of the Sea. Or you could release that man and peaceably go down to the hold and be detained. Since you are not a member of the crew, I will not punish. Instead you will be held as a prisoner to be released at the first port we dock at." William didn't mention that was likely to be Havana, "You will be allowed on deck during designated parts of the day. This will also allow you a chance to possibly regain my trust. The choice is now yours. Release this man and I will not prosecute, though I should, or kill him and be known through the rest of history to be a murder." William kept his cold gaze locked with Rolance's eyes as the crew waited with baited breathe for his decision.