She heard the first mate yelling up at her. "So you made it, girl! Now come on down!"

Kira resisted the urge to yell something insulting back and instead started down, finding the process difficult in its own way. She saw Jason had made it to the first level, looking even angrier than Kira felt. But he started up the next set of ratlines as Kira went back down, already feeling tired by the time she staggered back onto the wooden planks of the deck..

The first mate smiled. "You're ready to race, girl. As soon as you win, you can rest."

"Race?" Kira asked. A sailor stood at the base of the shrouds, one foot on a ratline, grinning. "I have to beat her to the top?"

"Her or anyone else. Go."

The next hour was an agony as Kira got more and more tired, her muscles quivering with exhaustion, while the sailors swapped out often enough to stay fresh. Even though Kira got better at climbing and coming down, she couldn't beat the sailors and finally collapsed on the deck, unable even to stand. A bucket of seawater splashed over her and Kira managed to get to her feet, glaring at the first mate, who offered her another bucket with a brush in it. "Enough fun. The deck needs scrubbing. Get to it."

Grabbing the bucket and then almost collapsing under the weight, Kira stumbled past the laughing members of the crew and went to her knees. She pulled out the brush and started scrubbing, wondering how long it would take the ship to reach port and whether she would manage to avoid the temptation to murder the first mate before then. At some point she saw Jason also scrubbing, and coming in for even more abuse because of his attitude.

Kira lost all track of time, knowing nothing but the ache in her body and the pain in her hands and knees. At some point someone shoved her against the gunwale and pushed a cup into her hand. Kira drank the water automatically, and when some hard biscuit was given her chewed slowly, her stomach threatening to revolt at any time. Either the day was drawing to a close or her vision was darkening. Kira couldn't seem to focus on anything well enough to tell. "That's enough," she heard someone say. "We don't want to kill them. Get them below."

Kira was half-carried forward and down the hatch back to the crew's living area. Some hammocks had been slung and Kira was dumped into one. She passed out almost immediately.

When Kira woke she was aware of the sounds of other people sleeping in the compartment, which was now pitch-dark without even a weak lantern to provide light. Her hammock was swaying with the motion of the ship, something that would have been soothing under other circumstances. She heard shallow, pained breathing close by and cautiously extended one hand to feel another hammock. "Jason?" she whispered.