Paul Kater - Bactine

The man slowly turned. “Ah. Mr. Zacharias.”

Daniel noticed the highly disapproving look on the face of the serving man and ignored it. “I beg your pardon, sir, but can you please clarify the proceedings? I am, to say the least, extremely puzzled.”

Clelem frowned for a moment. He cast a glance inside the carriage, where Daniel spotted the frilly girl again, fan up for protection. “Of course. I should not expect that lot to explain all this to you. Would you mind riding with us? We have more things to do.”

Daniel looked at his attire. “I’m afraid I am not exactly properly dressed, sir,” he said.

“For this time, I will not take offence, Mr. Zacharias. After all, we know what has happened.” Clelem Dandra ko Galem got into the carriage. Gaguran stepped in and Daniel followed. He was stared at by the young woman. Two large brown eyes over the rim of the fan, that then quickly looked away, out the carriage.

Gaguran did his trick with the hydger. Daniel noticed that he had a very small one this time, like an oversized locket.

“Mr. Zacharias,” Clelem said, “the Ship Owners Society is aware of the strain that seafaring folk are living under when away for so long. Therefore it is no more than natural that sailors feel the need to let off steam, so to speak. For that reason, twice a year an establishment in the sailor’s district is selected to be redecorated.”

“Redecorated?” Daniel missed something crucial, he was certain of that. He blamed the long and intense night and the short sleep.

“Indeed. The name of the establishment is mentioned to at least one person of the crew, who will then direct his fellow crewmen there. At a certain point they will start fighting, which will severely damage the interior. As you may have witnessed. This makes the removal of the interior easier for the workmen. The seafaring folk had their brawl and a secure place to sleep, and in the morning we come to collect them.”

Daniel’s surprise was growing.

“The Ship Owners Society has a separate fund for carrying some of the costs that are involved in redecorating the establishment. It can, after all, happen that some of the sailors get a bit carried away in their efforts.”

“But sir, I was the one who started the fight.” Daniel felt bad about that.

“Good for you, Mr. Zacharias. But do you believe that the night would have gone by peacefully if you had not done that?”

The carriage came to a halt. “I believe we have reached your homestead, Mr. Zacharias. I commend your honesty. Have a good day, sir.”

Daniel left the carriage and said his goodbyes. As the carriage rattled off, he scratched his head. This was really insane. The ship owners decided what place needed to be patched up and arranged for the sailors to take most of it apart. He grinned and went up to his apartment. After a shower and some breakfast he dropped himself on the bed and was asleep in seconds.

The hydger rattled. Daniel picked it up from the table and recognised Ulaman’s sign. “Ulaman, good morning.”

“Hello, Daniel. The ship is ready for new sailing. There have been some alterations to the rudder and we have a new sail. The Seigner wants us to take the ship out for a long test. We will leave in the afternoon.”

“I’ll be there, Ulaman.”

“I know.” Ulaman’s face attempted a smile and the screen went grey.

Daniel stretched his legs under the table. He was sitting outside a nice little restaurant, enjoying a brew called sturt which was the local excuse for coffee. He had grown to like it. Tomlin Barker had pointed it out to him some days ago. “It makes a nice change to tea, Daniel,” he had said. His friend had been right.

Daniel had enjoyed the days on shore; they had allowed him to travel around a bit and learn more of the town and the adjacent areas. It was not a bad place to live, but the lack of action (not counting a certain bar fight) was getting to him, so he was glad to go out again. Even if it was just a short trip.

He finished his cup of sturt, paid using his ring and headed back to his apartment. Getting his things was routine by now, so soon he was on his way to the harbour. He grinned as he came up to the immense ship. Seeing it like this was so much better than the view from his window. As he came closer, his grin changed to a frown. There were a few carts at the bottom of the gangway with the names of companies he did not recognise. Men he did not know and who did not look like they belonged on the ship were climbing up and down, taking things.

Daniel walked up to the deck and saw Draiky watching the men. “Hello, Xandree. What’s all this?”

The woman shrugged. “I am not sure. Orders from the Seigner, I heard. Ulaman and Xandree are not here, they asked me to keep an eye on these people.”

Two men tried to bring aboard a very large, long chest. They were swaying on their feet precariously as they tried to lift the thing up. Daniel dropped his things and quickly gave the men a hand. A fall down, he knew, meant certain death. The quay was hard and the water unforgiving.

“Thank you, sir!” the men said as they came aboard. They picked up the chest and disappeared below deck.

“They are hammering down there,” Draiky informed Daniel. “Lot of noise. I’m happy the galley is far from there.”

Daniel nodded. “I’ll go put my stuff away and see what’s going on.”

“Good luck, Daniel.” Draiky turned to the next man was bringing a bag of stuff on board, checked a list, and directed him below deck.

Daniel followed the man who moved slowly under his load. It was also obvious he was not used to moving about on a ship. The security man frowned as he saw the man stagger into the cabin opposite his own, where a lot of the hammering and sawing came from. The ‘Keep Out’ sign on the door made him wonder even more.

He was stowing his belongings when the hydger rattled. It was Gaguran Slindris. “Mr. Zacharias. Good day. I am calling you, on behalf of Seigner Dandra ko Galem, to inform you about work being undertaken aboard the Pricosine.”

“I am already aware of that, Mr. Slindris,” Daniel said. “The workers are hammering loud enough not to miss it.”

“Very good. They are all selected and found safe to work on board, Mr. Zacharias. There is no need for you to be concerned, or to interrogate them.”

“Interrogate? That is a bit drastic, isn’t it?” Daniel wondered where that suddenly came from.

“I just want to make sure you understand. The work has to be done before the Pricosine sails. Seigner Dandra ko Galem asks if you can assure that all safety precautions have been taken and checked. And that the rescue vessel is in order, for the eventual case that it is needed.”

“Of course, I’ll see to that. May I ask what this is all about?”

“You will learn about that soon enough, Mr. Zacharias.” It was evident that Gaguran wanted the conversation to end.

“Very well, sir. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Good day, Mr. Zacharias. Apologies for being negligent; you should have been informed of this earlier.” That was all. The grey display was a clear sign.

After storing his things and changing clothes, Daniel went up on deck again and looked for Ulaman once more. The captain was still not there. He heard his name and turned, seeing a small group gathered near a mast. He walked over. “Hi, guys. What’s the matter here?”

Brinno made a hushing sound. Then he whispered: “Something strange going on, Daniel. Something really strange. There’s rumours that there be a passenger on the ship.”

“That would not surprise me, really,” Daniel said. “There’s a lot of activity going on below deck. Inside a cabin. Did the rumours also spill who the passenger will be?”