Bactine

by Paul Kater

  It was dark brown, carried a blue seal and it was written in a beautiful hand. 'To the attention of Mr. Daniel Zacharias', it read. The seal was the symbol of Seigner Dandra ko Galem, Daniel recognised it as he had seen it on his hydger a few times.

  "What's this?"

  "Open it," was Xandree's simple solution.

  He did so and pulled out a letter, written in the same way as the envelope.

  'Mr. Daniel Zacharias,

  The family of Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem cordially invites you to attend a soirée at their house.

  The soiree will be held on the eighteenth day of this month, you are welcome to arrive at any time after the sun starts setting.

  Appropriate attire will be appreciated.'

  The invitation ended with a series of numbers, which made up the carriage address for the house.

  Daniel read the invitation twice, then stared at the people at the table. "They are inviting me for a party?"

  "Yes. And rather you than me, Daniel," Ulaman said. "You will be able to fit in there. The Seigner sometimes has such a thing, and the mouse, who gave me this, told me you were invited as you have been so crucial in saving the cargo and the Pricosine."

  Daniel looked at the paper. "The eighteenth day. That's tomorrow!"

  "Yes. That is why I wanted you to come over today. Otherwise I would have brought it to you," Ulaman grinned.

  "Right. Should I be worried about the bit on appropriate attire?" Daniel had the distinct feeling that his regular suits would be far from appropriate for a soirée.

  "I suggest you find a clothing shop that can help you, Daniel. Your ship's clothes are probably not nice enough. Even when washed." Xandree was definitely right. As usual.

  Daniel drank some tea. "I was afraid you were going to say that." It was well known all over the ship how he felt about suits, so there was some laughter and a careful pat on the shoulder for encouragement.

  Daniel spent some more time talking to Ulaman, Xandree and Draiky, and then he went on deck again to spend some quality time with his sailor friends. They all were very curious, so he took the time to tell them about the events in hospital as far as he could and listened to their stories. Time flew, so he joined the crew for a meal on board. After that he wished them all good luck in getting the ship in shape again and left the harbour, in search of a clothing shop. For the appropriate attire that would be appreciated...

  -=-=-

  "No, sir. I must strongly disagree, with your permission. You should put on the blue suit again." The face of the man in the clothes shop made it clear that 'no' was not an option. "It suits you, the colour looks perfect on you as well."

  Daniel did not like blue. The fact that his skin was still slightly blue was bad enough, but this man, who insisted on selling him a sky-blue suit, was driving him mad. The worst thing was that the other two shops where he had been had also suggested blue suits. "I think that more blue is not a good idea, sir, considering the present colour of my skin," he tried. The brown one he had on now was good.

  "Oh, really sir, if that is the whole problem, we can simply arrange for a light toning powder to make your skin look more its natural complexion again." He rushed off, leaving Daniel behind. In a blue suit, in full view of a large mirror.

  The man returned with a young woman who carried a large box. Daniel recognised the thing as a beauty case and shivered. "Look, dear sir," he started, "this is just for a soirée, a one time affair."

  "Oh, but I do understand, Mr. Zacharias," the clothes addict responded, "and especially if that is the case, you should not do less than the utmost to make a perfect impression on your hosts. Now if you would please take off your coat..."

  Daniel was relieved from the suit, planted in a seat, and the young woman got to work on his arms, face and neck. He tried to object only one more time, but that did not seem to reach any ears, so he gave up and in.

  After an hour of being brushed, painted, powdered and rubbed, the young woman was satisfied. The clothes man invited him to put on the blue suit again. He complied and looked into the mirror.

  Daniel got up and looked. "Wow."

  "Excuse me, sir?" the woman asked. "Is something not to your liking?"

  "Oh, no. I do apologise, miss. I am surprised, you did an outstanding job," Daniel had to admit. Even the blue suit did not look so bad now. The procedure had been more than the 'light toning powder', but it was worth it.

  The clothes advisor smiled. "I am glad you approve, sir. I do have an idea now. If you would excuse me..." Again he rushed off.

  "Will you be needing me, sir, Arvin will know where I am," the painter lady said. "The colour will stay for several days, and it will hold in a bath. Do refrain from one today, please, though." She smiled, curtsied and left, her box in her hands.

  Arvin the clothes man returned, another suit in his hands. "This, sir, might be more to your liking."

  The suit he brought was dark blue. Daniel put it on. And he liked it. The pants and sleeves were too short, but Arvin promised that their tailor would be able to correct that without a trace.

  Daniel left the store, a small business card tucked in his pocket as well as the address coordinates of the shop in his hydger. The suit, the new shirt and the tie to match would be waiting for him the next morning.

  22. Soirée (1)

  Daniel came into his apartment again. He carried a large package. The trip to the clothes shop had gone well, the final fitting of the new clothes was swift, and Arvin had also sold him a pair of new shoes.

  "Do wear them today, sir, and take them off a few hours before you will be going to the soirée tonight."

  Daniel had no idea how much this purchase had set him back financially. He still had not figured out how much he had to spend. As long as nobody complained, he assumed things would be fine.

  After hanging up the new suit he stripped and stepped into the small bathroom. Carefully he rubbed his forearm. Very good, he thought, the painter lady knew what she was doing: the colour did not yield. Carefully despite that, he showered. The colour held.

  He spent most of the day walking around his apartment in his new shoes, reading a few newspapers he had picked up earlier, and chatting to Tomlin for a few minutes. The hydger surprised him: he was using it many times and there was no indication it needed to be recharged. Hooray for puzzling technology.

  As he had not the faintest idea until what time the soirée would go on, he took a nap for a while. After waking up from a disturbing Rhonda-filled dream, he took another shower, as most of the day had already gone by.

  Putting on the suit, Daniel wondered what he was going to encounter that evening. The princess of course, he thought with a snort. And the mouse was probably going to be there. "Do not use that word, stupid ass," he scolded himself. It would be too easy to let that slip out in a conversation. If he had to go through this, he would do it as well as he could.

  Daniel looked himself over best he could, using the small mirror in the room. It would have to do. He locked the door, unlocked it, went to fetch the invitation, and then went out to the street.

  He opened the hydger and switched it on. It spluttered and crackled at him. "Oh no. Not now." He closed the cover and slapped it. Then it worked. "Percussive maintenance," Daniel grinned, remembering the expression from a star base mechanic from so long ago.

  The carriage came to pick him up. He used his revived box and the vehicle got in motion. As it left the Skarak city limit it suddenly picked up its pace. Daniel had never thought these things could go so fast, and he admitted to himself that the velocity worried him. The carriages did not exactly strike him as being built for speed.

  The need for it became clear however, as the trip took some twenty minutes. Clelem's house was located in the Zoroon Community, where the high society of this area lived. The houses that the carriage took him by proved that, and after slowing down upon entering Zoroon city itself, the houses became mansions. Daniel was amazed by the size of the homes.

/>   The carriage stopped and the door swung open. Daniel left the cart and was greeted by two men in red uniforms. They stood near a small platform that was circled by many torches. He handed them the invitation.

  "Ah, Mr. Zacharias. Welcome to the house of Seigner Dandra ko Galem," one of the men said. "If you would please wait a moment, the floater will return soon."

  Floater? Daniel looked upwards as there was no house where he stood. He saw an oversized football come down. The thing was about fifteen foot long, and as it was almost over the platform Daniel saw that the yellow blot beneath it was a basket. They were going to bring him up in what looked like a hot air balloon! He fought an upcoming grin and lost.

  Another carriage arrived, and two people stepped from it. They were greeted as Seigner and the lady Porval ko Winkui. They looked magnificent, Daniel thought. Not his style or taste, but still.

  The two uniformed men held open a hatch in the basket. Daniel let the Seigner and his lady step in first, then he followed. He'd trail behind and see what happened.

  The floater slowly moved up again. No one had pushed anything, it just went. The ride was only forty-five seconds, but it allowed for a truly amazing view of the bay that was coloured by the setting sun. The floater stopped its ascent at a wide bridge that led into a small building. Daniel grinned again; he had seen this in Tomlin's house.

  The people left their basket, and the floater went downwards again to pick up more visitors. Daniel followed the couple inside, where three ladies in black gowns welcomed the guests, relieved people from their overcoats and beckoned them to walk on.

  As Daniel had expected, there was a transparent tunnel which led to the main house. It was considerably longer than the one he had seen before.

  Daniel stood to the side of the tunnel and took some time to take in the place of his boss. It was huge and richly decorated with small statues on all the railings of the patios that where made around each of the three floors. There was an enormous garden. There were many patches of grass in it. He recognised it as Turut grass, extremely hard and sharp. Every patch of grass had many flowerbeds in it, in enough colours to be the envy of the average rainbow. There was a maze of walkways throughout the garden, many benches and other seating arrangements. Everywhere in the garden also were high conifer-like plants and glowing sticks that provided a very nice lighting. The entire place breathed riches.

  Daniel followed a small group that walked through the tunnel and reached the entrance to the main house. Three servants were there to look at the invitations once more and hand out glasses with wine. He then followed the people in front of him as they seemed to know what to do next.

  It ended him up in a queue that did not move along very quickly. Daniel looked around the large hall. There was a fountain in the middle of it, spraying water in wide arches. He could not see where the water went, as there were too many people in the way. There was a lot of talking going on already.

  The queue moved along a little at the time. Then Daniel saw the reason for the slowness: Clelem and his family were lined up, greeting all the guests personally and taking the time to exchange some words with them. At the end of the line he saw the mouse. Gaguran Slindris. This was going to be fun.

  "Mr. Zacharias. How gentle of you to come," Clelem said, shaking his hand shortly. "I am pleased to see you are doing well."

  "Thank you, Seigner, I was honoured by your invitation."

  "You are most welcome, Mr. Zacharias. Your heroic actions aboard the ship should not go unnoticed."

  Clelem's wife was clearly the blueprint for their daughter. The same dark hair and eyes, and a lady through and through. "Mr. Zacharias, I have heard of your bravery. Thank you for joining us on this evening."

  "I was merely doing my job, Lady Dandra ko Galem," Daniel said, bowing to her.

  "It did cost you, sir. Do not talk down your actions. It is not befitting." She smiled at him. A nod told him that she was done talking to him, so he moved on.

  Rayko stepped backwards. "Stay away from me," she hissed, keeping a smile on her face. "I want my clothes to stay in one piece." It was fierce enough for her mother to quickly glance at her daughter.

  "Very pleased to meet you again also, Miss Dandra ko Galem," Daniel smiled, enjoying a strange delight in her reaction. "Will we enjoy your company aboard the Pricosine again?"

  She glared at him, venom in her eyes. Daniel's eyes lingered for a moment on the unusual strip of red jewellery that the young woman wore on her cheek.

  Daniel moved to the next person in the line, a young man he did not know. He had long black hair hanging over his shoulders, deep dark eyes, and a strong chin. He also had a cane in hand.

  "Warlem Dandra ko Galem," the young man introduced himself. "I am the disgrace of the house, and deemed useless to boot."

  Daniel was surprised about this introduction.

  "I have heard what you have done, Mr. Zacharias, and I applaud your daring," Warlem said, bowing to him. "I'm afraid that I am not made of the material of heroes."

  Daniel grinned. "We are not all the same, sir."

  "And that is a good thing," Warlem shared, only then releasing Daniel's hand. "After all, what good are acts of heroism if there are no poets to recite their achievements?"

  "Uhm, I guess you're right, sir," Daniel said, rather out of his field with that remark. He nodded and faced Gaguran.

  "Mr. Zacharias. Good evening. Welcome."

  "Good evening, Mr. Slindris." That and a nod completed the round of introductions.

  Daniel stepped away and positioned himself near a large plant, out of the crowd. He took his time to get a feel for the people who were there.

  "Are you feeling out of place, Mr. Zacharias?"

  To his surprise, it was his host who addressed him. "Oh, good evening, Seigner. I am just trying to get in the proper spirit. I am not used to venues like this."

  "I understand." Clelem nodded. "Have you been treated well during your stay in the hospital? I worried about you, Mr. Zacharias. It was a fortunate occasion that the medical person from your former location was present to assist. Our Glandrine skin is becoming you."

  "The staff of the hospital was wonderful, Seigner Dandra ko Galem," Daniel said, as he caught Gaguran trailing after Rayko who was disappearing in the crowd. "I hope to be able to reimburse the people who paid for my stay there."

  "No need to worry about that, Mr. Zacharias. The Ship Owners Society has provisions for incidents like these," Clelem said.

  Then Warlem, his son, cut in. "Father, the senator has arrived, would you please join us?"

  "Excuse me, Mr. Zacharias." The two men walked off to greet a thin guest who wore a remarkable green robe. The man had long, wavy blond hair and a large nose. That was a senator?

  Daniel frowned and sipped some more of his wine. Then he slowly walked into the large hall, to satisfy his curiosity. He had to know where the arches of water ended up.

  23. Soirée (2)

  Daniel felt a stranger in the large house. His suit did not make him stand out, but his size did. Oh, there were several people in the hall who greeted him and entertained some socialising, but there was no real connection. He longed for the company of the people of the Pricosine, or the comfort of his own space in his apartment.

  A large buffet, spanning almost a dozen of tables, was opened in an adjoining room. Daniel had not a clue what most of the food was, so he picked from the large plates carefully.

  "Lavish, isn't it?" someone asked Daniel, who was studying a plate with curly pink things. It was Warlem, the poet and shame of the family.

  "It is, indeed. And I don't know most of it either," Daniel confessed. He had taken an immediate liking to this young man who was one of the few normal people here, as far as he was concerned.

  "Those are safe," Warlem pointed at the pink curlies. "Avoid the green vegetables if you do not like sour food, and the yellow cubes over there are sweet." He picked one from the bowl. "And delicious." The cube quickly disappeared fro
m view and fingers.

  Daniel appreciated the assistance, and approved of the choice of food he carried away from the tables, looking for a place to sit down.

  Warlem followed him with a plate of his own. "I was highly entertained by what I heard had happened to my sister," he said as he sat down next to Daniel. "And please, do enjoy the food. It is prepared by the the cook that was on the boat."

  "Ship." It popped out before Daniel knew it.

  Warlem laughed. "You are one of them. How quaint."

  Daniel failed to see the quaintness but ignored the remark. He was glad to have some company.

  "Rayko was highly distressed about your behaviour on board. I assume you know that?"