Chapter 149 - Daves Predicament (2/2)
”The main issue is the situation with the ship. We obviously had a few moles among us. That is the only plausible explanation for the explosions,” said Dharma Pratap. He planned to make preparations to escape during this search. ”We need to sweep through the vessel to make sure no silent beacons were planted.”
”Agreed,” said Darak. ”I suggest we check each other's quarters and their belongings. This is a matter of life and death. We can't consider our brother's privacy in this instance. The fact is that Basuli and his crew are in charge of the vessel. So, if any mole is remaining and has a moderate control of the vessel, it is highly likely they are in his crew. It is for the best, if we check each other's crews especially Basuli's. What do you say?” asked Darak looking at Basuli.
”How dare you? Why should we show you our possessions?” roared one of the lieutenants beside Basuli.
”Yes, you are just using the situation to your advantage. Don't forget you are talking to a commander, lieutenant Darak,” shouted another.
Basuli looked at Darak's face for a moment as he raised his hand to stop his lieutenants. ”It will be done. A silent beacon would be the worst thing that could happen to us, right now,” he said.
”Captain! You can't be serious,” said one of them in a hurry. They were pirates and had the habit of always keeping one or two valuable artifacts in their rooms for a rainy day. Most of the men except Basuli's crew had lost their rooms and their valuables in the attack. Basuli's crew had their valuables stowed in this vessel and were afraid that they would be taken away, especially in a situation where all others had lost theirs in the fight. The same applied for Basuli's lieutenants. He didn't expect Basuli to agree and he definitely didn't want to let others check his quarters.
”Enough! There is no need to be concerned about it. Though you search in his room for a signal, I request you to let our brother's cover it with some cloth. At close range, even a silent beacon can't escape detection even put in a lead box. I hope you agree to this,” said Barak looking at Darak and then the other pirates in the room. He needed them all to agree as the checking was definitely advantageous to them.
Before the others could even ponder on it, Darak had replied. ”It is a reasonable request. We won't be so shameless as to put our own brother's in an unfavorable predicament. Also, any aggression among brothers needs to be dealt severely by their own lieutenants and commanders. Else, it would lead to in-fighting and we don't want that now. It is best if we all announce this in the vessel after the meeting.”
His words surprised the other pirates in the room, including Dharma. All the others had surely thought that Darak was using this chance to move against Basuli, but it didn't seem so.
”Let us come to the main point, then,” said Basuli glancing at Darak and Moreno. He wanted to bring the topic of the next captain or at least the interim captain. His lieutenant had already called him captain and hence, he needed to deal with it as soon as possible. He viewed at the two pirates who seemed to wield the most power apart from him. He didn't even consider Dharma Pratap to be important and view him only as a pawn of Darak.
”Though it is inappropriate, my lieutenant had called me captain. It is best that we decide on whom to lead us. At this perilous time, we need a strong leader who makes the last decision. Without one we wouldn't be effective as a group,” said Basuli as he nodded towards Arkhan.
Arkhan was waiting for this signal for quite some time. He and his crew had suffered the most damage and were extremely afraid of aggression from others. Basuli had already made him an offer when he was at his weakest. He had already accepted to be Basuli's second in command. He got down on one knee while holding bandages in one hand.
”I, Arkhan Borra, believe that commander Basuli is a very able leader and is capable of letting us gain us getting back all that we have lost. I pledge my allegiance to him and on behalf of my crew,” said Arkhan with his held head down.
”Mierda Cobarde,” cursed Moreno hardly able to believe Arkhan's words. He was already aware of Basuli's intentions and he was sure that Basuli had made concrete plans for it when he heard the lieutenant refer to Basuli as captain, but he had never expected Arkhan to offer his allegiance. He was hoping that at least Darak and his two fellow lieutenants would oppose him right now.
”I can't deny your logic, Basuli,” said Darak. Moreno's heart plummeted as he heard those words. He wished to beat them immediate. ”But it is counterproductive to talk of it at this time,” continued Darak. ”We can discuss it once we are safe and our men are all back in good health. Still I agree that we best let you handle all the affairs currently. After all, you had been doing it all this time.”
It was neither an acceptance like Arkhan's or a rejection like that of Moreno's but a deferment to decide the leadership at a later time. Even Basuli couldn't deny it as he also knew that Arkhan's allegiance was only due to the temporary situation. He couldn't completely trust Arkhan.
He gritted his teeth in anger but couldn't fight against both Moreno and Darak as that would just deplete his troops. He still didn't have much idea of the enemies who had attacked them. So, all he could do was simply accept it. He still had a better chance than the other three, even after they get to a safe place provided by Geraldino.
Geraldino was his contact and he would still have decent control at that point of time. He still had his chance and his plan was to conserve as much strength as possible. He had lost many able fighters and didn't want to lose more either. That is why he tried it in a peaceful manner.