Snippet #2569897

Zasha nodded and loped off to the cabin, avoiding stepping on the fallen Marines. No need to add insult to injury when they were down, not when she had no personal grievance against them anyway. Good thing steering the ship was in her skill set, else this would be awkward.

The captain's cabin was a complete mess. Papers and things strewn everywhere, empty goblets, ashes from what looked like expensive cigars, and one long table to hold it all. Thankfully there was no rotting food, since it was a Marine ship, and personal affects seemed to be slim to none. She could see a large coat in one corner, a wide Navy style in mostly white with red and gold accents, with big brass buttons that almost touched the floor on her. On a whim she put it on without putting her arms through the sleeves with the nearby hat, but a nearby shaving mirror showed her that the hat was completely not to her personal taste, so she tossed it back on the rack.

Now, logically, where would this lever be? There was a large glass window, heavily reinforced, looking out on the ocean beyond the stern, so the lever should be nearby. And there indeed it was, facing the middle of the window. Or at least, that's where it would have been if the mechanism had actually been there. Zasha looked at the hole in the deck and sighed at the gears. Those were not helpful at all. She looked around the cabin, lifting this and that, peering into corners, but to no avail. It was nowhere to be found. Striding out of the cabin, she hailed her captain.

"Captain Neggy? We've got a problem. I don't know why or how they would do such a thing, but the lever that steers the ship doesn't seem to be where it's supposed to be." It was a worse problem because they really shouldn't be staying long in harbor, not on a stolen Marine ship.

As she walked out she noticed suddenly that the captain's jacket was far too big for him, and the Navy jacket she had liberated from the cabin might fit him much better. It would serve the crew best if their captain made a good showing of it, and besides, as Captain he had first dibs on any of the loot. Zasha shrugged her purloined jacket off and offered it to him.

"Here, Captain, the Marines left something in the cabin that might be to your liking."