I'd like to be a Lieutenant if it's not too late.

Here's an idea (mostly spit balling here):

I'm thinking an incompetent and mostly despicable guy who is worse than some of the pickers. However, he saved the captain's life once (mostly on accident). The captain thanked the wretch by giving him a job, which the lieutenant accepted immediately so that he would have more money to buy booze. However, the lieutenant eventually comes to look up to and respect the Captian, and the odd duo become good friends. His loyalty to this one man is perhaps the only particularly good thing about the lieutenant.