Bactine

by Paul Kater

  "I am sure, Tomlin. I did not mean to offend you."

  "You never will, old friend." Tomlin raised his glass with what came closest to cognac on this planet. "To a friendship refound and reforged," he said, "and to many more meetings like this."

  They toasted.

  The evening flew by. Tomlin was quite unstable on his legs by the time they left the Brostil Faring club. Daniel supported him. Again, the alcohol had no effect on his Bactine body, so he made sure that Tomlin got into a carriage safely and checked that the address his friend put into the vehicle's plate was correct. Tomlin insisted on giving Daniel his address, and after loading that in Daniel's box, the carriage rattled off.

  Daniel started his walk back. At times he grinned, recalling some of the stories Tomlin had told him. Daniel was happy for his friend. Tomlin really had become a citizen of this planet. His life was here now.

  Tomlin married. Daniel chuckled at the thought. Daddy Tomlin. That made him grin. His grin froze as through a sneaky back-door the image of his brother Malcolm was thrown in. It made his pace slower and it unsettled him.

  "No. You are not going to ruin this night's memory, Malcolm," Daniel whispered and shook off the image, forcing his thoughts back to Tomlin and the things they had done together, when Tomlin had been his partner in active duty.

  Somewhere, despite (or perhaps because of) the late hour, he had to wait crossing a street as a line of carriages passed by. The curtains over the windows were drawn. Wondering what this caravan was, Daniel watched as the vehicles went by. He just stood there, staring, seeing nothing, as his mind was drifting off into a void.

  A gentle tugging at his sleeve brought him back to the side walk in Skarak. He looked down at the rather scruffy boy that peered up at him.

  "You well, Seigner?" the child asked. He had a few smears over his forehead and cheeks.

  "Yes. I am well. Thank you."

  The boy nodded and smiled. Then he walked away. Daniel wondered why the boy wasn't at home and in bed. "Hello, boy?"

  The child stopped and turned. "Seigner?"

  "Are you okay?"

  "I am, sir, I am. Thank you for asking." In the dim light of the street lanterns, the boy smiled again. "Is that all, sir?"

  "That's all." Daniel was tempted to tell the boy to go home, but something held him back. That was something for... fathers.

  "Good night, Seigner," said the boy and then continued on his way.

  Daniel crossed the street and went home himself.

  He lay on his bed for several hours, but sleep did not come. His thoughts kept running in circles. They wanted to focus on Tomlin and Malcolm and Tomlin and - "Oh, crap..."

  Daniel got up, poured a glass of water and stood in front of the window. His eyes were drawn to the now dark shape that was the Pricosine. A few lights were burning aboard the enormous sailing ship. Then the dancing lights on the water behind the boat attracted his attention, and after lingering there for a while he was looking up at the three pink moons that reflected the light from the giant star that was known as NGC6637.

  12. All aboard

  With a grin, Daniel tucked the hydger away. It had taken a bit of tinkering, but he had managed to access a local library through it, and downloaded a bunch of information about the planet into it. Too bad that the capacity of the hydger was very limited, but it would give him something to read when out on the Pricosine. There were possibilities to the hydger that nobody had told him about, and he felt proud that he had managed to get this done.

  Daniel looked around the room. He had everything he wanted to take, so he put on his coat, checked the shine of his shoes and picked up his gear. The ship was ready to sail again. They would be gone for a while, delivering a silk-like cargo and also a shipment of grain. On the way back they were to collect all people and their belongings who were living on a small island. The island had become a rather dangerous place now, and they had to be relocated to a village not very far from Skarak.

  Ulaman had notified him that they would be sailing very early, so it was still dark when Daniel got out on the street. The carriage he had called for arrived soon, which was a good thing. There was a definite chill in the air this morning. As he was on the way to the harbour he wondered if the carriages would just wait somewhere, or return to a kind of rendez-vous point after a specific period of time. The still silent world did not have an answer for him.

  Aboard the ship there was a lot of action already, as the crew was busy making preparations for the journey. Daniel greeted them, but did not keep them from their tasks. He quickly made his way to his cabin below deck and started changing into his 'work clothes'. He was about to leave his cabin when the hydger complained with its rattling sound.

  The display announced that he was receiving a relayed message. The ID on it was from his old location; the star base. He sat down on his bunk and opened the message. Two seconds later he wished he hadn't.

  "What kind of mess did you get yourself in? I heard that you are thrown out?" The message was from his brother. Daniel sighed and located the delete switch. The message was erased and the display was grey again. Daniel however saw red for a while. It took him a big conscious effort to get over this. He did not want this. His life was his own business, and nobody had to judge him over it, nor call him out to justify what had happened.

  He slipped the hydger in his pocket and went to the deck, where he picked up one of the strange semi-bikes and paddled it over the length of the ship. The movement and the pressure he lay on himself to do his job made the memory of the message fade.

  After making the round he went up to the bridge, to find Ulaman, Xandree and Lidrin going over long lists.

  "Hi Daniel," Xandree said, waving him to a chair.

  Daniel sat down; he did not want to disturb them. It looked important, or at least complicated.

  A few minutes later, Darigyn came on to the bridge. "Ula, he's here." Then the big man disappeared again.

  Daniel frowned as Ulaman set off after Darigyn, charging down the steps. "What's that?" he had to ask.

  Xandree shrugged. "It's the mouse again. He always shows up before we leave on longer journeys. Don't forget to talk to the Seigner, Daniel."

  "At this time?" Daniel looked out the window and saw the first light of the day paint the waves.

  "At any time before we leave. He'll be awake." Xandree sounded very certain.

  Daniel called Clelem, in his mind preparing some excuses in case this was not the right time.

  "Mr. Zacharias. I am pleased to see you are conscientious about your task," the Seigner greeted Daniel. "Is everything in order?"

  "Yes, sir. I have checked the ship, it is fine. I will make a second round just before we cast off."

  "Very good, Mr. Zacharias. I am putting a lot of trust in you. Have a safe journey, Mr. Zacharias." The connection was ended.

  "Told you," Xandree remarked. "You could go help Draiky make tea and broth. It is cold. The men will need it." Practical as ever.

  "Yes. I'll go there, but could you please tell me who 'the mouse' is?"

  Xandree made a face. "Gaguran Slindris. Although sometimes I wonder if he is more a weasel than a mouse. I don't like him."

  Daniel nodded. He understood. The man had never done anything wrong towards him, but there was something about the man that made him wonder at times.

  Ulaman came back in. "That was a quick one. He's probably cold, the idiot. Scared his nuts will freeze off"

  Xandree laughed. "He'd need nuts for that. The mouse probably ate them already."

  The bridge almost shook with laughter.

  "I think he's wetting himself over the girl again," said Ulaman as he rubbed his big hands and threw some more wood into the fire of the heater.

  "He's a lost cause, that mouse. He'll never have her, and he knows it." Xandree put on her jacket and walked to the door. She caught Daniel's wondering expression. "Slindris is infatuated with the Seigner's daughter. If ever you see them together, keep your
eyes open. We have a bet going when he will trip over his tongue." With that, she left the bridge.

  Lidrin grinned. "Watch out with Xandree, Daniel. She has a habit of turning people into her willing servants. And she doesn't even know it."

  Ulaman grumbled something and went back to his lists.

  -=-=-

  Two hours later the Pricosine was out of the harbour. The men were working frantically to get all the sails set, to get the ship to speed. Daniel was not allowed to help them; there had been sightings of unknown ships so he had to keep patrolling the length of the ship. He was grateful for his enhanced eye, which outperformed every telescope on the ship.

  "Hey, watchman," a rough voice said behind him.

  Daniel grinned as he turned around. "Draiky. Hello to you." He gladly accepted the mug of hot tea. He had been on board for hours already, looking for ships carrying bad news, and despite his Bactine body, he was getting cold deep inside. He was pleasantly surprised to smell she had spiked his tea somewhat.

  The ship's cook grinned. "Thought you would like that." The short, plump woman was wrapped in what could be a small grey tent, but it fit her. "Anything scary out there?"

  Daniel shook his head. "Nothing yet, unless it is underwater."

  "Oh, plenty of that," Draiky said, "but they don't take on ships. Good luck. Talk to you again." With that she left Daniel to his watch.

  After a short break and a nap in the afternoon, Daniel had taken his watch again. Now he returned to the bridge. Darkness had set in already, and the Pricosine sailed in darkness.

  Stroro was at the steering wheel, whistling a terrible tune. "Having fun out there?"

  "A bundle of laughs," Daniel grinned. "I am beginning to talk to the birds out there."

  Stroro nodded. "The glowbirds are fascinating. They're also a pest. When they shit on you, you'll be glowing for weeks."

  Daniel had seen several glowing patches on the deck. "Would it help to clean that up?"

  "No. Save your energy. They shit faster than you can wipe, and you'll be their preferred target."

  Daniel wondered why they had not seen glowbirds on the first trip. That was, Stroro told him, because the glowbirds did not like the warmer areas. "The happy crappers like it here, where it's cold."

  After four days of sailing they arrived at the port of Nairit Lagharn, where the grain was unloaded. The port was gigantic, Daniel was more than just impressed by the sheer size of it. The cranes that were used to remove the grain from the cargo bays were capable of such tonnage that they had done the job within a day.

  During the unloading, Daniel had a day off. There was no chance of anything happening here. Unfortunately the port of Nairit Lagharn was too far away from a town to go and visit it, so he spent a lot of time in the galley, chatting to Draiky. He liked the plump woman who came to bring him tea at the most impossible hours of his watch.

  He learnt that Draiky came from a very violent past. She did not make it a secret that she was lesbian and living together with a woman when ashore. Her family however had not taken well to her revelation and had rejected her. One of her brothers, she told, had beaten her up quite severely too, having her end up in a hospital for a few weeks. That was the last her family had seen of her.

  "The folks on board are good for me," she said, scratching her arm. "They accept me. So I am good for them. I love it here, and I can go to places and bring little things for Ombra."

  Ombra, Daniel knew, was the woman who was waiting for Draiky to return home whenever the cook was away on a voyage. "That's nice."

  Draiky grinned. "Sometimes she curses me for bringing so much, but I know she likes it."

  Daniel laughed about that. "Do you already know what you will bring her this time?"

  The cook shook her head. "No idea. Nothing from here, that's for sure."

  "Maybe you have a chance when we reach Britna the Red," Daniel said, getting up.

  "Doubt it," Draiky said, "been there a few times and it's not worth going ashore. Boring place." She scratched her arm again.

  "You should see a doctor about that," Daniel pointed at her arm.

  "Nah, had it forever. Doctors don't know what to do against it. I'll live."

  Daniel wished her a good day and went to the bridge again, hoping to learn a few more things about the planet and the ship.

  Four days later they were in the harbour of Britna the Red. Smaller barges, some under sail and some with men pulling long oars, worked to get the silk offloaded. The Pricosine was too large to moor at the quay.

  Daniel climbed back on board the Pricosine after visiting the town. As he stepped off the rope-ladder, Bilk grinned widely at him.

  "How often did you fall asleep?"

  The fame of the town was wide spread, obviously, and Daniel's experience spread it even wider. "It was bad," he told Bilk, who nodded in agreement.

  "We all know," said the alien with the strange spotted skin. His expression was clear. They all had tried to convince Daniel that a visit was not worth the trouble.

  "I know now also. Next time I'll listen," the security man said.

  "Better not be so dumb," a voice behind him said. Xandree grinned. "They will take you for a bragoon one day, you should know that."

  Daniel was not sure what a bragoon was, but coming from Xandree it did not mean much good.

  "At least you had a good day to head out," Bilk said. It was indeed a nice and sunny day.

  "True. I'll go and make a round on the ship," Daniel said. It was not necessary here in the harbour, but it would not hurt. As he was reaching the stern of the ship, he saw a lone figure sitting there. He stepped off the walker-bike and sauntered over. To his surprise it was Draiky. She seemed to work on something.

  Daniel made sure that he was approaching her loudly, as not to startle her. He saw a sketchpad on her knees as she turned around and looked up at him.

  "Hi," she said, and turned back to her sketchpad.

  "Hello. Do you mind if I spy on you?"

  She grinned loudly. "There must be more worthwhile things or people for you to watch. But I am not stopping you."

  Daniel sat down next to her and looked at the paper. It was a drawing of the nearby ridge of mountains that had a very remarkable shape. And it was an amazing drawing. "You are good, Draiky."

  "Is nothing. Just some scratching to pass the time." As if it reminded her, she scratched her forearms. As her sleeves were rolled up, because of the nice weather, Daniel saw large yellow and orange spots on her arms.

  "That does not look good," he remarked, trying to make it sound casual.

  She shrugged. "Glandrine rash. Rare and untreatable. But you get it at birth, not otherwise. Everyone's safe from me." She snickered.

  "Glandrine? What's that?"

  "I don't know the fancy words, Daniel. I just know that everyone who is born on the planet has it. It grows inside us. They say it's from the water. It's in our skin and it stops us from getting sick and stuff."

  Daniel nodded. With strange chemical compounds in the water that would dissolve metal, there was bound to be some effect on human bodies too.

  "When we die, the doctors take the glandrine layer from our skin and store it somehow. When people get hurt, there is a supply of it so they can fix people."

  "I see." It made sense, although the practice sounded a bit odd. But then, if the stuff was so good that it could save lives, why not. Out in space there were far weirder and worse practices. At least here they waited until people were dead before stripping their skin.

  Draiky returned to her drawing and fell silent. Daniel quietly got up and left her working on the drawing that was becoming better all the time.

  13. A night on the town

  After unloading the silky material in Britna the Red, they received quite a large amount of food and drinking water. These supplies were definitely needed if they were going to have lots of extra mouths to feed on board.

  Ulaman plotted their course and they set sail for the island w
here a large group of people were waiting to be rescued. That was only two days sailing, and it was obvious why the people had to be evacuated. The island had fallen victim to a nearby rift that had started to stretch itself. Many parts of the island had been torn apart already, and the rest was just waiting for that fate to happen.

  The refugees came in their own boats, large and small, and Daniel worked as hard as everyone else to get the people to safety. The sea floor shuddered several times as the rescue operation was going on. Strange waves appeared on the surface. The tremors were not strong enough to make the Pricosine notice, which was a good thing. Getting two thousand people with their belongings and a load of animals on board without proper means was a task in itself.