Outsider

[Laowai]

The Meeting place for the Tangier Corsair Elders was a large cavern that was much deeper and further underground than Laowai had anticipated, A narrow passage, partially widened by hand led the way into the grand cavern which the observer would see sprawled out in front of him as he left the passageway. Crystal formations hung from the ceilings and festooned the walls catching small droplets of water that seeped out from somewhere splashing down into a still cave pond that was at the base of one of the walls. Light was reflected off the crystal surfaces all around giving the impression that a million diamonds and jewels hung in all directions.
He craned his neck, but he could not see the ceiling, lost as it was in the glow of the lights and the darkness beyond.

The sight was simply beautiful, and Laowai couldn’t suppress his astonished gasp. Zarita Crusellas, who had accompanied him, followed his upward gaze, “Amazing isn’t it?” She said “When this cavern was first opened we knew it was something special, it’s been our hall of Elders ever since”.

It was then that he noticed, there were no torches or powered lights here. He looked around him, and he realized that he hadn’t seen any source of light since he had entered the cave complex. “How do you…” he started to ask but Zarita anticipated his question - “The lights?” she said, he nodded. “I was wondering when you would ask, Its part of the rocks itself, we think its some kind of natural phenomena, but they respond when something living comes close”
Laowai looked at her in astonishment, “Rocks? responding to… living things?”. Zarita nodded her head, “yes, and though we’re not sure how…” she leaned in closer, “We think that we aren’t the first intelligent beings that have spent time in these caves, we’ve found things…”
She winked at him and Ben was taken aback, but before he could question her further she gestured ahead, “Over there, across the little rise and below it, the Elders are waiting”. She raised her eyebrows indicating he should go and so he did, still puzzling about her cryptic remark as to the lights.

He walked over the small rise in the rock and there before him was a grotto in the cave wall, Crystal hung from its walls as everywhere but this had the appearance of being less natural and more fashioned. Beneath it, seated at a long table at the back of the grotto, family banners behind each chair, sat a collection of men and woman.
Tangier's Corsair Elders - Laowai thought to himself. He approached them and reaching the grotto found a table and chair in front of theirs, presumably for him. A guard standing nearby indicated he should sit, however he waited, knowing full well that this seemingly innocent gesture was a test of his character. No Corsair knowing the old code would sit at and Elder’s table without being asked. It was one thing to banter and drink with an Elder in a bar or in combat, it was a wholly different thing when you entered his home.
There were ten of them, a lot for such a small community, and he was surprised to find Ernesto Crusellas sat among them. He chided himself, he had no idea the man was an Elder, he wore no badges of rank! And here he had been making eyes at the man’s daughter….
Quickly he addressed them as custom dictated. “I am Ben Laowai, Corsair and pledged to defend the honour of my people, you have requested my presence and I am here”
In the centre of the table, an Elder, one of the older looking nodded in response, “Indeed we have Ben Laowai, you may sit”
He seated himself at the table and the Elder motioned to the guard to bring him some water, which Laowai accepted gratefully.

The Elders wasted no time.
“You present a strange appearance for a Corsair, you look Kusari, explain yourself” one of them asked.

Laowai explained his mixed heritage but the Elder persisted; “Yet “Laowai” is not a Corsair name, you say your father was born of Crete, why do you not use his name, to not do so is a dishonour!”
Ben spoke confidently, not liking it, but used to having to explain himself, though not so much having to do it in such a formal setting. “Indeed it is not a Corsair name, it is a word in a Kusari dialect, my mother’s dialect that means “foreigner”, I used it because my father used it and he did so in protest with his own father, my grandfather, who did not agree with him taking a Kusari woman as a wife”
The questioning Elder hmmphed in disapproval “Your father shunned his own name in an argument? That is hardly honourable conduct!? To shun ones own father in such a….”
Laowai countered, his temper rising a little “His father disowned him” he said “and my father rose to the rank of captain and led a wing of Corsairs. He led those men on the Huerta raid on Malta and died fighting there, any “dishonour” he may have caused by changing his name was redeemed by the sacrifice of his life in his duty and by the commendations of the men he led”

He knew the elders here were testing him, testing is background, his loyalties and his knowledge of the old Corsair codes of behavior, something it seemed they all abided by, even though back on Crete it was becoming widely seen as old fashioned and antiquated. Sure enough another Elder entered into the discussion abruptly. “The Huerta raid, yes we know of it and Elder Crusellas has already told us of your father’s involvement” he said, gesturing to Ernesto who nodded without acknowledging Laowai. “Indeed, these acts would redeem any dishonour, but your father had a Corsair name, what was it?”
“His name was Raul Dominguez”
“What house?” the Elder asked without missing a beat and Laowai answered him with equal speed “None, he was not of noble birth, nor did he join the militia or the auspices of one of the faction houses”

It was Ernesto Crusellas’s turn to speak now and he did so with a slight smile on his face; “That fact we know Senor Laowai by your fathers name, and could construe by the fact you yourself wear no badge other than that of your unit.”
It was true and Laowai answered “yes, I have followed in my fathers footsteps here, I have not joined a house, though…” and he paused “This I do because like my father I believe them divisive and controlling, and I do it to follow in his footsteps, much as I can.”
Crusellas said nothing and the original older looking Elder spoke up again, “Divisive? Controlling? You speak your mind too freely for one so young, you should know the houses have stood since long before you were born, and men are proud to serve with them and be among them”
Another test, this time, not to test his loyalties or background, but one to test what kind of man he was in his heart, but he knew for him there could only be one answer; “indeed, the houses are often divisive, but they are time honoured institutions and families that indeed have a noble place in among our people.” He looked at the Elder directly “People are proud to serve them and join them, however, it has not escaped my attention that none of you or your flags bear a house badge either...”
The old man chuckled and sat back in his chair, clearly he liked Laowai’s response, “No” he said “We are not, the settlers of Tangier were all what the houses would call “landless” or independent.” He leaned forward again to give emphasis to his words “and while we are no longer landless we are still independent and wish to remain so”
The implications of the words hung over the room and Laowai was uncertain of how to respond, until one of the other Elder’s, a woman, sitting by Crusellas asked “And what of your mother, the Kusari woman, what was her name?”
Laowai smiled, “her name was Zhang Lei Laowai, of course, she coined the name “Laowai” her real family name was Zhang”
“And what did she do in Kusari” the Elder continued “who were her family, these Zhangs…?”

Measuring his words carefully, Laowai chose his answer, he could not tell them the truth, for none living that he knew of other than his sister knew it “She was a student” he said “She met my father while he was liaising with the Hogosha”
Seemingly satisfied with the answer the Elders moved on to questions of current events and the deployment of hostile forces in the sector. He could not help but notice that while they asked about Red Hessian and Bounty Hunter Activities in the area, they seemed equally concerned about Corsair movements, but rather than asking about progress in their wars against their enemies, they seemed more interested in knowing their deployment and communications. He held back any classified information that he knew, but they did not ask it nor did they seem interested. “And what of us?” The oldest of them asked him after another hour of tactical and strategic questions “Do the Corsairs of Crete still speak of us? Seek us? Tell us Ben Laowai, do they know we are here?”
Ben thought about it for a moment. Of course any corsair who had studied knew of the attempts made in the past to colonise the planet, that they had failed, and that no trace had ever been found and the colonists were presumed lost. Indeed, no one had spoken of Tangier in the public discourse for a very long time. “No” he answered finally “I do not believe they know you are here, I certainly didn’t.”

The Elders looked at each other and muttered among themselves, one of them turned to Laowai and dismissed him “You may go Senor Laowai, we will send for you further should we need you, in the meantime, we shall make arrangements for the salvage of your ship”
He nodded and then rose to leave, walking back the way he had come in he found Zarita waiting for him by the entrance to the passage. “How was that?” she asked “Pass their tests did you?”
“You knew they would test me” Laowai said as they turned to leave.
“Of course I did” Zarita smirked, “Corsair or not you are an outsider to them, a test was always coming”
They walked down the passageway together and Laowai nodded on the irony “An outsider everywhere it seems”.
“You even took it into your name” Zarita said.
Ben stopped and looked at her surprised, “You heard?”. She held his gaze, unashamed “every word” she said “you don’t live your whole life down here with a father as an Elder and not know how to eavesdrop”

“Besides” she said, turning to continue down the passage “I would have tested you myself, they just did half the job for me.”
“Half?” Laowai asked, continuing on beside her, she smiled at him again “Oh yes, only half, there’s more but you don’t get to know where or when”.

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