Bactine

by Paul Kater

"Admirable, Mr. Zacharias. I trust that you will be doing well. I hope you understand that you will be out of hydger-range for most of the journey, so if anything happens, the crew and the ship will rely on your ingenuity and resources."

  "Thank you for informing me, Seigner Dandra ko Galem," Daniel tried to make up. "I will do all that is in my powers."

  "Very good. I will hear from you again upon return. Safe sailing, Mr. Zacharias."

  "Good day, Seig-" The connection was ended before Daniel was done. He looked at Ulaman. "Bad move?"

  "Bad move," the captain confirmed. "He'll live. And so will you. Come here, Daniel, we are about to sail."

  Daniel witnessed how the small-sails on the front mast were hoisted, and the large aft-sail was brought up halfway. Slowly, as the expertly-set sails caught wind, the giant ship drifted away from the quay as large unseen machines rolled in the large hawsers that had held the vessel tied to shore.

  The few people that manned the boat used something that resembled a primitive bicycle to quickly go from one side of the boat to the other. Daniel was astounded at the speed they developed with the thing.

  As if the ship was pestering everyone, it turned only ever so slow before the bow was pointing towards the exit of the harbour.

  Ulaman kept yelling commands into a tube, occasionally rang a bell and seemed to enjoy the whole thing tremendously.

  After a while, more sails were set. The Pricosine picked up speed, helped by the outgoing tide, and then they were outside.

  10. Sailing

  Sailing was a new experience for Daniel. He had never been out on the water before, and to be on such an enormous ship was totally new for him as well. As there was not much for him to do, he had conferred with Ulaman about helping the crew with chores. Ulaman was glad that Daniel offered that. Every little bit helped, after all, and there were always small things that were left undone because of the large amount of big things that needed doing.

  Daniel learnt a lot about the ship and the way of sailing. He even was allowed, under supervision of Stroro, to climb all the way up in the rigging. Supervision of Stroro also meant that Daniel had to use safety-hooks to secure himself. He was not allowed, Stroro said, to fall down on the deck and kill himself, because that would make a mess. As Daniel proposed to just fall in the water instead, Stroro advised against that. "You'll fall to your death just as easily from this height. You don't seem to know how hard water is." The former soldier did not know, indeed, but he trusted Stroro's words. So he used the hooks.

  They had been at sea for a few days already, when Darigyn asked Daniel if he could help. Darigyn was a big strong man, bald, covered in tattoos and skin like weathered leather. "There's some rigging that needs fixing, maybe you want to try," the sailor said. Daniel was game. Everything was new.

  The two sat in the shade of one of the masts and Daniel tried to do what Darigyn did. It looked simple but was quite a tricky task.

  "What is this material?" Daniel asked. The ropes that made the rigging was no ordinary rope. He had seen and felt that.

  "This is Aramid," Darigyn explained. "That is also what the sails are made of. Very strong, durable. Hard to break."

  "And hard to fix when it's broken," Daniel added.

  Darigyn nodded as his hands moved on to the next piece that needed patching up.

  "And what stuff is the boat made of? I have read that old Earth clippers were made of wood, but this is no wood. And it's not metal either."

  "Ship. Not boat. The Pricosine is a ship. Okay?"

  Oops. "Okay. What stuff is this ship made of, then?" Daniel had no idea that the difference between boats and ships was so sensitive with the people that worked on them.

  Darigyn nodded. "It's called Polychlon. Fake wood, some people say. Wood and metal do not live long in this water. Polychlon does."

  "Wood and metal?" Daniel frowned. "Why's that?" It now occurred to him that he had not seen any metal on the ship, indeed.

  Darigyn shrugged, which meant that a lot of body mass was moving. "I don't know, I just sail here. It's something with chemistry in the water and things like that."

  Daniel could not blame the sailor for that. It was not his job to know and explain about chemistry. Later that day he repaired to the bridge and found Ulaman there, staring at the maps of the sea strait they were traversing.

  "Hello, Daniel," Ulaman said, looking up for a moment. "How was the repair work?"

  "Harder than I had expected," Daniel admitted. "But we got a good deal done. Darigyn put a claim on me for the next time."

  Lindris, at the steering wheel, laughed. "You have a friend for life, Daniel."

  "How are your hands?" the captain asked.

  "No problem, they're fine." Daniel told Ulaman about the surgery he'd had.

  "Oh. I see. You're different then. Well, that's fine. We have Bilk also, and he's fine. We're all fine," the captain said. He reached for the tube and yelled that the crew should set a gaff rigged sail on masts two, three and six, working sail on the seven and eight, and no sail on the rest. "We're going too fast."

  Daniel stared at the paper. He was not new to navigational maps and understood most of what he saw, except for where Ulaman had added some notes by hand. "Too fast for what? Isn't getting there fast good?"

  The captain looked at him and laughed. "Almost correct, landlubber. First objective however is to get there. Look here." The big finger pointed at a mark the captain had drawn himself just before. "This is where we are." The finger moved and ended on top of a blotch. "That is where we are going. Did you notice something special?"

  "You moved your finger between these two blotches."

  "Correct. These blotches are island. Rocks. There is a sandbank between them, and if we hit that with the low tide, we get stuck, damage the ship and we're buggered up." Ulaman tapped the mark that was the Pricosine. "We're making too much speed, so we would hit the sandbank on the last bit of low tide. What we have to do is slow down enough so we pass through the islands a few hours later. That's all."

  Daniel nodded. It made a lot of sense, once you knew what to look for. He had another look at the map. "Ah, right. I see why you're not taking the detour around the islands." He had seen the array of dots that lay around both islands, they probably meant spikes that were sticking up. No way the Pricosine could pass through that without tearing up the hull.

  "Daniel Zacharias, you amaze me. You may make a decent sailor yet if you stay on board for a few years." Ulaman laughed, pulled open a drawer from the table and brought out two glasses and a bottle with something blue. He poured two healthy dollops and handed a glass to Daniel. "I like you, Daniel Zacharias!"

  They threw the booze back. Ulaman wiped his mouth. Daniel was not sure if he should try to make it outside before exploding. The fire died away fast though. Slowly Daniel put the glass down.

  "Damn the water ghost," Ulaman said, "you drank it all?"

  Daniel nodded, not sure if his vocal chords had survived the ordeal. "Looks like it," he tried. His voice was still there.

  "You are such an idiot, Daniel Zacharias. But a good one. Next time ask what's in it." Ulaman laughed again, and Lidrin joined in. Even Daniel launched a grin.

  The action of setting less sail had worked perfectly. Daniel stood all the way at the front of the Pricosine, the wind in his face, as the ship sailed through the gulley between the two islands. It was a magnificent view. Majestic.

  The rest of the journey the Pricosine pushed on under light sail, making the most of the wind. As they approached their goal, all sails were lowered. Ulaman and the crew were masters of their trade, Daniel saw. They knew exactly when to do it, to make the giant ship slow down. The bow cut through the water for half a day, and by the time the speed had dropped to a near crawl, they were only a few miles away from the island. At the end of the day, the Pricosine was moored to a makeshift quay and several large cranes, all hand-powered, started their work on emptying the belly of the sea giant. It took four whole days of contin
uous work before it was done.

  As they were on the journey back to Skarak harbour, Daniel sighted a few ships, far away. Ulaman had offered him a telescope, but his electronic eye outperformed the tube many times. Still he could not make out anything of the ships passing, but at this distance there was nothing to fear. The trip was calm and fast as now the Pricosine was empty and wanted to fly through the waters.

  As soon as they were in reach, Daniel contacted Seigner Clelem, reporting about the trip, the two distant ships and the lack of something more to report. Clelem seemed satisfied.

  Back in the harbour, Ulaman was met by Gaguran Slindris and the two left in a carriage. Xandree, Ulaman's wife, knew that they were meeting Seigner Clelem. "They usually talk after a voyage," she said, "although it is strange that they do after this. This voyage was nothing special."

  "Except for me being with you," Daniel pointed out.

  "Should not make the difference," Xandree shrugged. "Care to come help with the laundry?" She was so practical.

  Daniel was helping Darigyn roll the cordage into neat coils when Ulaman returned to the ship. The captain stomped up the gangway. "Not good," Darigyn predicted. Daniel wisely did not ask anything as the bear-shaped man made his way over the deck and down to his quarters.

  The security man was in his cabin, after a shower, when someone pounded on the door. "Hey, landlubber, do you have plans for the evening?" It was the voice of the captain.

  "No, not really," Daniel said as he opened the door.

  "Perfect. You're coming with us then. Xandree and I are going into town, for a hearty meal and some light entertainment." The deep rolling laughter of the man told Daniel enough.

  11. Home is where the ship is

  Daniel had some time to himself after returning from the voyage. The Pricosine was being cleaned and then a new cargo would be loaded. That would take a while, of course, with such a large ship. He grinned at himself as he was taking care not to call it a boat any more.

  He sat at his table near the window. It allowed for a great view over the harbour. He could see the Pricosine from there and never failed to have at least a glance.

  The hydger was on the table, next to the newspaper of a few days ago. And his military radio. He had tried to contact Rhonda, but there was no reply. He wasn't even sure if his transmitter was able to reach that far, but there was no harm in trying.

  From the apartment below there was a bit of noise, some shouting and screaming. Then the door slammed. He had heard more of that and it annoyed him. There was hardly any silence in this building. It was truly built for immigrants and travellers that did not stay long. Why on Earth- well, on NGC6637-VII someone had thought this was a cool place was beyond Daniel.

  Daniel longed for the peace he'd had aboard the ship. He had even called Ulaman and asked if he could sleep in the cabin, but that was a big no. Seigner Clelem did not allow people on board while the ship was being maintained. And Seigner Clelem was the God of the Pricosine, so his word was law.

  A look around the small apartment did not fill Daniel with joy. He had just cleaned it, made the simple bed and there was a small trash bag waiting to be taken out. He looked at his wrist, a habit that was hard to kick. His watch was in a trunk somewhere. He grabbed the pocket watch that was so fashionable here and checked the time. Almost dinnertime. What more reason did one need to dress up in the suit again, he grumbled. He did it anyway.

  All dolled up he made his way down. With the trash. The bag was unceremoniously dumped in the container designated for waste disposal, and he stepped out into the street. He took the hydger. Then thought. And slipped the device back in his pocket.

  At ease he started his stroll along the street, mingling with the people there were on their way to all kinds of destinations. At the end of the street he stopped. Not because it was busy, but because something caught his eye. He was standing at a small, virtually deserted roundabout. IN its centre was a patch of lawn, and scattered through the grass were small spots where someone had planted flowers. Daniel stared at the arrangement. He knew he had seen things like this before, here on the planet, but until now he had not taken the time to actually notice them. And to his surprise he found that he liked it, appreciated it.

  "It is pretty, isn't it?" a lady said as she walked past him. Daniel looked at her and caught her smile just before she rounded the corner and walked on.

  After a short walk Daniel had left the area where all the high building were. He sauntered through a street with respectable establishments. They were all restaurants to him, and he picked one that looked the least fancy. That would be safest in price.

  The restaurant, called 'the Mighty Oxen', was quiet. A waiter showed him to a table, handed him a menu and walked off with an order for some tea. Daniel was getting used to drinking tea by now. There was no coffee, and the other beverages here probably required being born here to appreciate them.

  His food was served quickly and looked good. It tasted good also. Daniel was not in the mood to discover what it actually was made of. That was a challenge for other days. As he was watching some of the other people in the restaurant, suddenly his hydger started rattling. He almost jumped up because of the unexpected sound and prepared for being thrown out for that noise, but nobody seemed to mind.

  Daniel quickly picked the small box from his pocket and opened it. At least that would shut the noise off. There was a message on the screen for incoming communication from Mr. Tomlin Barker.

  "Tomlin Barker?" Daniel's jaw was about to drop. He flicked the switch.

  The face of a man appeared on the small screen.

  The waiter walked up to Daniel's table and placed a screen around it, so the conversation would not be heard through the entire restaurant.

  "Daniel Zacharias. I'll be damned," the man spoke from the box. "What in the name of everything that's unholy are you doing here?"

  "Tomlin? Is that really you?" Daniel could not believe his eyes as he looked at the face of his old friend and former partner in crime.

  Tomlin Barker had been in the military also. He had served with Daniel for several years, but when he had gotten into some unenjoyable differences of opinion with the "high management", he had resigned. The two men had kept contact for a few more months, until Tomlin had suddenly vanished.

  "It's me, bud, alive and kicking."

  Daniel stared at the tanned face and the shoulder-length brown hair. "Christ, I would not have recognised you. What are you doing here? And how did you find me?"

  Tomlin grinned. "Let's talk about that somewhere in person. Where are you?"

  Daniel told him. Tomlin said he could be in Skarak within an hour and suggested a club where they could meet. "Enjoy your dinner, Daniel, I'm looking forward to meeting you."

  The display faded to its normal grey and Daniel closed the box. "Tomlin Barker. This is insane."

  An hour later, Daniel strolled through the avenue of Loda ko Ubris, looking for the club called Brostil Faring. He found it behind a large fence that was covered with purple plants. Inside, he was greeted by a lady who nodded as he said Tomlin's name. She led him through a room with large empty sofas and a small crowded bar, guided him into a small hallway and directed him to the door of a private meeting room. "Your party is in there, sir," the lady said. With a slight curtsey she left him. Daniel knocked on the door.

  "Come in, you bloody space cadet!"

  The meeting was one of long lost friends. Daniel learnt that Tomlin had first moved back to Earth for half a year. From there he had enrolled in a program to visit and explore new planets, with lots of own initiative. He had gotten to NGC6637-VIII, met a nice girl here and got married. He worked as an engineer now, designing pumps and pressure kettles for factories.

  "I admit, it is not the most exciting kind of life," the broad shouldered man said, "but I love my wife and kids, life here has been very kind to me, and I found that I had all I needed to settle down."

  "And become a good husband," Daniel added
with a grin.

  "I hope so. Nadinka has not thrown me out yet, so I must be doing something right," his friend laughed.

  Daniel then told Tomlin about his life and the reason for his deployment to NGC6637-VIII.

  Tomlin nodded as he heard about the Bactine surgery. "You always were a better soldier than I was, Daniel. I'm not surprised they patched you up. Already wondered about your strange colour as you came in."

  "So why didn't you ask me about it?"

  "A gentleman does not ask things like that. He waits until he's told. That is something private," Tomlin told Daniel.

  "Good grief, you've really turned into an old gentleman fart from here!" Daniel laughed.

  Tomlin grinned. "It grows on you. It does. I've learnt to appreciate it, Daniel." The man was serious now, Daniel knew.