The Lost Star's Sea

by C. Litka

  04

  'By the way, my name is KaRaya.' she said, glancing back as we walked up the gangplank.

  'Very happy to meet you, Captain KaRaya. Thank you for rescuing me. It is more than my carelessness deserves.'

  'Oh, I'd save the meanest fu-dragon from these savages' pots. Their savagery to one and all makes my job much easier to swallow,' she said as we reached the ship.

  The gangplank entered the ship at its lowest deck. To my left, within the solid hull of the bow was the slaves' galley and storeroom. To my right, two dozen tall cages separated by a long companionway that ran the length of the ship.

  'We keep the various island tribal groups in separate compartments just to keep most of them alive. They'd kill each other if we mixed them together. And even so, there's blood feuds and rivalries running through each tribe, so we lose some anyway.'

  There were dozens of captives perched about in each of the first six compartments on each side of the companionway, females to the right, males to the left. Some of the newest captives in the back cages were howling in anger, some crying in fear. Most of those in the first ranks of cages, perched on shelves that crisscrossed the cages, merely starred vacantly into space.

  'Their meal-cakes are soaked in drava, a local fermented drink. Keeps them semi-drunk and quiet,' she said casually, and grabbing hold of a metal ladder amidships that lead up to an open hatch in the high deck ceiling, shot upwards.

  I followed her up to the enclosed deck. It was illuminated by the light pouring through the open rocket launcher ports and some gratings above. Crew members slouched next to cannon-like launchers poking out of the portals. Wooden walled storerooms filled the center of the deck. We swung around to a second ladder that opened on the main deck, crisscrossed with the vague shadows of the overhead grating. Like the deck below, it had a series of deckhouses running down the center of the deck - the crew galley, officer cabins and crew bunk rooms. She led me across the rough, carpeted deck to a deckhouse that spanned the bow of the ship and then into a chart-room lit by squares of thick glass set in the ceiling. The centerpiece of the room was a large table holding a three-dimensional chart of the islands - a series of small beads strung along a complex web of different colored wires. I paused to examine it, as she slipped around to a standing desk on the far side. On closer inspection, each bead was shaped differently, apparently an approximation of the island it represented. The wires connecting each bead to its neighboring bead had labels which I couldn't read - I was now an illiterate in the Saraime Principalities.

  'I assume these labels tell you time or distance between the major islands,' I said.

  She looked up from her rummaging of drawers. 'Never seen a chart like that before, Captain?'

  'No. Can't say I have?' And looking up and seeing her expression, I added, 'I'm not from these islands...'

  She looked at my uniform and the darter that she had drawn from its holster. 'Yes, I might believe that. We'll get to that in a minute. First, step over and put your mark in my book.'

  She clicked on a primitive electric lamp to illuminate the top of the desk and slid the ship's book across the metal top of the desk, held in on the desk by a magnet under its leather cover.

  'I see you have electricity on this ship.'

  'Oh, we're very up-to-date, by Tyrina standards. Of course, by core islands' standards, I suppose we're pretty primitive. You don't need to be very up-to-date in this trade. But I suppose, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know,' she added with a glance at my darter with its synthetic fabric holster and belt.

  'I'm not from the Principalities. You'll find that I don't know a lot.'

  She gave me a searching look, and then shrugged. 'Seeing how you came aboard, I might believe that.' And then, placing her finger on a line in the book, 'Here's where you put your mark. Just for the record, you're signing on as stoker, third class with an Outward Island bonus. The berth pays five coppers a round, with board. If you work hard, I'll only deduct the wholesale rather than retail price of the four number one items we paid to acquire your services. I'll have PerLain, the purser, take you around to the slop chest where you can buy an appropriate kit for stoking. You're in luck as far as kit. We recently lost several stokers to the Green Spot Fever that's been thinning these islands of their savage populations, so you'll have a fine selection to choose from at reasonable prices. The cost of your kit will also be deducted from your wages.'

  I sighed and signed my name on the spot where she indicated, though I'd no idea what I'd actually agreed to. I'd become unscrupulous enough not to care what a piece of paper said.

  She glanced at it, shrugged again at my "mark," and said, 'Welcome aboard the Bird of Passage. No qualms about signing on to a ship like ours?'

  'Many qualms, Captain. But I find they don't stack up to being the main entree at the village banquet. And as I'm obliged to you for offering me a chance to escape that fate, there may be some good karma in the bad in agreeing to serve you.'

  She nodded, closed the book and shoved it back into a drawer. Then leaning back against the stool and the bulkhead behind her, she picked my darter again and carefully examined it.

  'Compressed air?'

  'Electricity. It shoots a charged dart.'

  'A very small one by the look of it. Do you merely sting your enemies, Captain Wilitang?' she asked, noting the 2mm aperture at its business end.

  'Given a chance, yes. I can sting 'em or kill them as I please. The small dart can hold a lethal electric charge. It releases the electricity when it strikes the target, rendering them either unconscious for a time or, if charged with enough electricity, kills them forever. I can decide on how much electricity to put in each dart, and so can choose to either stun or kill my target.'

  'And you say it sends it on electricity as well?'

  'Aye, it sends the darts along a beam of...' I found I hadn't the proper words, so I said, 'Of electrical energy.'

  'It's a new one on me. So, where do you come from? The truth would be best,' she added, casually pointing the darter my way. 'I'm familiar with a trigger, in any event.'

  Since it needed my palm to activate it, I remained cool and collected.

  I closed my eyes, trying to decide what to say. And how to say it without appearing to be either a madman or an obvious liar. It seemed rather hard to be ordinary with a young Simla dragon draped around my neck and as the owner of an unknown weapon.

  'Take your time. I would prefer the truth, but I do enjoy a well-crafted lie,' she said after a while.

  I smiled. 'If I told you the full truth, you'd never believe me. I was simply deciding how to convey the essential truth in a way that you could not think me mad or making a fool of you.'

  She waved my darter at me. 'The "essential" truth, is it? That's a new one. Go on, you've made me very curious.'

  'Right. I'm not from the Saraime. I come from far, far away. I was born on the large island of Faelrain. Grew up to be a sailor, and eventually the captain of a trading vessel that plied the islands of the Azminn and Amdia. Unlike traders in these islands, my ship was merely a trader, a cargo carrier. Trade wasn't just something to do when there was a lull in piracy.'

  'You expect me to believe that?'

  'Does it matter?'

  'Well, I seem to detect a bit of Temtre in your accent. An honest Temtre trader? Care to illuminate me?'

  'I'll get to that, if you'll let me spin my yarn...'

  'Go on, then.'

  'My ship's owner, as it turned out, has a claim to the throne of a distant empire - Cimmadar. Ever heard of it?'

  'A mythical island. I was quite fond of fairy tales, in my youth. This is getting interesting.'

  'Well, Cimmadar could be a fairytale for all I know, since I never reached Cimmadar. The ship I commanded could only take my owner to an island where she joined a small navy that had been awaiting her return. This navy was to restore her to the Cloud Throne of Cimmadar. I was set to go along with this expedition, but before the
fleet set sail, it was decided that I would return to command my old ship and continue trading instead.'

  'Why?'

  'I was deemed too kindhearted for the type of struggle they expected.'

  'Too kindhearted, or too, shall we say, shy?'

  'I objected to killing a prisoner out of hand. Which, I suppose, suggests that I'm not ruthless enough, and perhaps not foolish enough to think that a ruler who has been on the throne of a great empire for tens of thousands of rounds can be overthrown with three hundred sailors and three battleships...' I paused. 'I am cautious by nature. Perhaps that makes me "shy." Still, I've dealt with pirates and assassins when required, so it may not matter in practice. In any event, I was sent packing, and then, because this adventure was supposed to be a great secret, the leader of the rebellion decided to keep it a secret by destroying my ship and my crew. We managed to avoid that fate, and I returned in one of the ship's boats to warn my former owner of the ruthless treachery that her uncle was capable of. Unfortunately, my boat was damaged before I reached them, and then carried a vast distance in a great storm, coming to rest on an island that soon hosted a gathering of the Temtre Clan.' I paused to consider what I needed to say, and not say. 'Which is where I learned the local language. And why I speak it now with a Temtre accent.'

  'Is this island near here?'

  'Ah, that I cannot say. If you know the Temtres, you'll understand that I'm still alive only because I gave them my word to reveal no more to anyone.'

  'Knowing the Temtres, the fact that you're alive suggests that you're lying. Care to give any names to these Temtres you met?'

  'DeKan is the clan-king, and his ship is the Talon Hawk. I also met Captains EnVey and DinDay. And yes, I probably should be dead, but I had a couple of formidable companions and weapons like the one before you, so we came to terms.'

  She just smiled and slowly shook her head. 'I appreciate the little details, like DeKan and the Talon Hawk. They lend your tale substance. It is the mark of a great liar...'

  'And my darter in your hand? Is that a lie too?'

  She looked at it, and sighed. 'I suppose it doesn't matter. Tell me, where are your companions and how did you meet your savage friends?'

  'There was, well, a parting of the ways with my companions. They sailed with the Temtres, and I was left with my damaged boat. I set sail for where I was told the Saraime lay and reached a small island not far from here about a round ago. I hid the boat amongst the vines to give me time to consider how to approach the Saraime proper without attracting attention. The natives stopped for a meal on my island while I slept, and when I went topside for a bit of fresh air, we ran into each other. They had three weapons pointing at me before I noticed them, and I decided it wasn't time to test their aim or mine. I didn't think I'd survive three holes in me. I thought I'd have a slightly better chance later. And, as it turned out, I was right, since here I am,' I added brightly.

  'And so you are. This boat, can you take me to it?'

  'Certainly. It has a radio beacon,' - another word I found I (or the AI) knew in the Temtre language - 'so that I could lead you right to it using this bracelet.'

  'Would you be willing to?'

  I considered that for a moment or two. 'Yes. I don't see why not. Tyrina is as good a place as any to get to know the Saraime. So yes, if you want to collect my boat for your owners, I'd be glad to show you where it is. It has some interesting features that might well impress your owners, though they are locked and can only be operated by me. I could perhaps make a deal with them, and have the best of two worlds, my ship, and a foot in the door of the Saraime Principalities, and, I should add, I believe I have enough coins to pay for my ransom.'

  I was careful to emphasize the owners' role in affair. If I read my Captain KaRaya right, involving the owners in this affair might not settle well with her.

  She must've read my thoughts, and smiled. 'Yes. Owners. You see, I'm unlikely to be the golden feathered captain of their greedy dreams. As I said, Green Spot Fever has swept through these islands, drastically reducing the available supply of passengers. I've lost half my passengers, and six crew members because Doc Til failed to catch the early symptoms of the fever in one of our passengers. As a result, I'm not likely to make expenses. I rather think I'm not long for this berth. Of course, your boat, if it is what you say it is, might change that.'

  'I'm sure it would. And, I could make it worth your while as well.'

  'And yet... Between you and me, being a captain in this business is about as low as you can fly,' she continued. 'Unfortunately, I needed the coins that came with the berth. I have, until now, been rather carefree, or perhaps careless in my life, but I'm determined to change. To become responsible. I intend to be the responsible captain of a slaver and work my way up. There was a time, not long ago, when your boat with its various interesting things, and hints of personal gain, might've tempted me. But I'm no longer young and foolish. I've become responsible...' And then leaning closer, she asked, 'Could you still use your radio thing to find your boat, a hundred rounds from now?'

  'I'm getting its signal here, and perhaps for another round or two of sailing. My com link has a limited range, but the beacon should last our lifetime. If I can find my way back here in a hundred or even a thousand rounds from now, I'd have no problem locating it.'

  She leaned back, studied me, and considered that for a minute. As did I. Captain KaRaya struck me as someone I could, well, if not quite trust, deal with. Slave ship owners, and indeed, slave ship crews, less so, if I had a choice.

  'I'm a stranger here, Captain, and I'd rather keep a low profile until I know more about the Saraime. And well, I don't really think this needs to concern owners?' I said.

  'Not my owners, in any event. But I'm honor bound? At the moment. But I'm not likely to have owners for long, and may well need coins. There are native traders that could be hired in Tyrina anchorage who would take you - and me - back here, with only a small amount of danger. Once I am no longer employed, that is.'

  'I'll have to trust someone? And I owe you a debt, so I would be happy to form some sort of partnership with you to recover my boat and share the benefits that can be derived from it. I believe they could be substantial, but I can't guarantee that. You see my darter in front of you. Take that as my proof that I have things of interest. Turning them into coins, well, that might take some doing?'

  She sighed. 'It is tempting. If I was, like I used to be?' She struck the desk with her fist. 'I don't want to know more. Not now. It can wait until Tyrina. My current job is to provide passage to migrant workers, not chasing a dragon's dream. So, until we arrive back in Tyrina, Captain Wilitang, I would earnestly advise you to say as little of your past as you can and nothing of your boat. Everyone on board has dark secrets to keep, so we're not a curious bunch. The black gang is very short-handed, so if you pitch in, they'll treat you kindly enough. Nevertheless, I wouldn't trust anyone. This business doesn't attract feathered folk with many scruples. Savvy?'

  'Aye. I've dealt with enough pirates to know how it plays. And remember, I'm a cautious fellow.'

  'Stay cautious. We won't have a chance to talk again. I'd have no reason to talk to a stoker. Even bulwarks have ears when they're curious enough. I'll see what I can do to get you free on landing, but you may have to run. We'll cross that island gap when we come to it. Do we have an understanding?'

  'Aye. I pay my debts. We'll talk on Tyrina. I need a responsible guide, and I believe I can make it worth your while.'

  'Just so, Captain,' she said extending her hand. We sealed the deal Temtre style, grasping wrists.

  'And now, if the last of our customers has arrived, you'll have work to do.'

  I followed Captain KaRaya out to the deck, and as I waited for the purser to make his way from the cutter to the deck, I said softly to Hissi, 'I'm sorry, we seem to have fallen into rather bad company. Please don't pick up any bad habits from them.'

  She gave a dismissive hiss, apparently hatche
d hard-boiled.

  'Well, I'm glad you're so confident. I wish I was. We're on our own now.'

  She hissed again, and wrapped her hanging tail around my neck.

  'Aye, we'll see it through together. Never fear. I'm a lucky man...'

  A low hiss.

  'And I've a Simla dragon for companion.'

  Chapter 12 The Bird of Passage