Thank you for the feedback, rather than just explaining what I did I think i'll just post the first page, let me know what you think.
A large wave hit the side of the ship and I was tossed out of my hammock. I crashed onto the hard wooden floorboards. I wasn’t hurt but I cursed the Royal Navy under my breath all the same.
I pushed myself up off the floor and noticed not only the heat but the stench below deck. I was on a small ship and the lack of air flow down here really made the tropical heat swelter and the smells linger. Ever since I left home I have been questioning if this was the right choice.
I knew I needed to escape Britannica. I wanted to forge my own path and seek out a better life in Britannica’s newest island colony Arcadia. Yet, I wondered if the Navy was right for me. So far it has not been a good fit. My entire voyage across the endless ocean to Arcadia has been mind numbingly boring.
The navy hadn’t bothered to train me in the ways of combat like I had hoped. All they taught me to do was sail a ship, shine my shoes, and swab the deck. What good will that be along Arcadia’s vast and perilous river system.
I grabbed my hammock and pulled myself to my feet as I shook my head. What have I gotten myself into? I didn’t join the navy to patrol a dangerous river. I joined the navy because it was the only way for a man of my upbringing to get across the ocean. I couldn’t pay the price of a one way ticket here, let alone afford a piece of land. The navy offered a signing bonus, monthly pay and a small plot of land on Arcadia for two years’ service. I hoped to serve peacefully on one of the great ships in the fleet. Instead I got stuck here, on a little river patrol boat, perhaps the most dangerous job in the whole Royal Navy.
Time seemed to slip away from me as I thought about the rumors I had heard, a decades-long conflict for control of the island was brewing. Everyone back home knew the struggle between native Savages and Britannica’s heroic Red Coats was intensifying. I had heard talk of them uniting under a new warlord and seeking freedom from Britannica’s rule.
I heard my name being called out and was torn away from my thoughts. I looked up and saw a man on a ladder calling my name. He looked down at me, I could tell it was Cutler and he looked annoyed, “come on Will there’s a storm comin” he yelled.
Cutler was not the captain or the first mate, this ship was too small for a first mate. Cutler was a seasoned sailor that acted like a captain. In fact, he probably knew more about sailing and this boat than the captain. He was a big burly man with a full beard and stood over six feet tall. Other than his big red beard his head and shaved bald head he was all muscle. I was about five foot ten myself and compared to me he looked like a giant. He reminded me of a Viking, only angrier, if that was possible.
I listened to Cutler and climbed up the ladder to the main deck. Once topside, my eyes had to adjust to the intense light above deck. Blue skies surrounded the bright sun and seagulls were flying high up in the distance. My eyes started to water and I turned away from the burning sun and looked down at the ship.
The ship was only about seventy feet long from stern to bow. It had one mast with one large sail and two oars coming out the back to aid the rudder and steer the ship. This was necessary for the tight turns needed to navigate the rivers of Arcadia. You see this was a river boat. It was not meant for open ocean water; it could traverse it but without a keel the ship tossed and turned a lot more. I learned that the hard way when I fell out of my hammock.
I was on a Junker class military ship called the Sea Dragon. The sides were painted red and black with the glory of Britannica’s Navy. Atop the oars on the stern of the ship lay stairs leading to the open upper deck that had the helmsman and the captain.
