Bactine

by Paul Kater

  "Hello, Seigner," a boy called out to him. Judging from his clothes he worked at Henlicks Cranulum, even if he was young. "Are you looking for something?"

  "Not really," Daniel said. "Not yet, anyway. I am supposed to collect a carriage here later today."

  The boy frowned, taking off his hat and scratching his head. "A carriage? We don't sell carriages, Seigner." He asked Daniel's name. "Let me go ask, Seigner."

  Before Daniel could say a word, the boy darted off, through a door, into the dark secrets of Henlicks'. He appeared after a few minutes. "It's all arranged, Seigner! The carriage will be loaded and waiting for you here, indeed!" He smiled as if he had arranged it himself.

  "That is magnificent, young man," Daniel grinned and waved at him. With that knowledge secured, Daniel went off for a late breakfast and then went home. He had a specific suitcase there that he would need at the moment they would engage the pirates.

  As he had the suitcase on the table, ready for inspection, the hydger made its noise again.

  "Well, well, aren't we busy today," he said to is as he opened the cover. There was a transmission. From the star base relay.

  He read the header of the incoming message. It was from his sister, Cynthia. This was worth sitting down for. As he was comfortable, he started reading:

  'Dear Daniel,

  I am glad you found time to write to me. You do that far too little as it is, but then, I am guilty of that also. When I read your message, I was not sure if you had been in a bar and decided to cure your alcoholic state of mind by this wild story, but the words did not seem incoherent. Oh, I believe you are on this terribly far away planet. It sounds exactly like something you would do. (Did you volunteer for it?) But the story about pirates... Daniel, I am still not sure if I have to laugh about it, or worry for your safety. Whatever the situation is that you are in, please promise me that you will be careful.

  I have not relayed your message to Malcolm. I suspect you will send him another message. If anything at all. It is truly too bad that you and he don't get along, but it is something between you two.

  Daniel, be careful, will you?

  Your loving sister,

  Cynthia'

  "Yes, Cynthia, I'll be careful. As much as I can be," Daniel said to the message in the small screen. He felt good about that message. At least there was one woman in the universe that cared about him. He grinned.

  He got to his feet and finished checking the contents of the suitcase. Good thing it was made of a hard plastic. Hopefully that, and the fact they were high over the water, would keep these toys working.

  36. Airship

  Daniel changed into what he still owned as a soldier's uniform. It wasn't exactly a proper uniform, but it would be a lot better than the local suits. He slipped the hydger in a pocket and put on a long overcoat. Then, with the suitcase in hand, he left his apartment and headed out to Henlicks Cranulum.

  Packed with his strange luggage he attracted more attention than usual. He had already counted on that and ignored the curious looks. Daniel walked into the yard of the shop, where he saw two carriages, but not the boy. "Hello?" he called out.

  A wrinkly man with a pipe in his mouth appeared. "Seigner?"

  "My name is Zacharias. I believe there should be a carriage waiting for me."

  "Oh. Right. Gimme a moment, Seigner..." the man shuffled off.

  A moment later the boy came outside. "Seigner Zacharias!" He smiled and pointed at the two carriages. "There they are."

  "They? I was supposed to have one carriage..." Daniel stared at the two deals on wheels.

  "There was too much ordered, Seigner. We had to put it in two."

  "Oh. Ordered... by whom?"

  "By you, Seigner. Mr. Daniel Zacharias?" The boy pulled a paper from his pocket and checked it. "Yes, sir, it is here."

  Daniel looked at the paper. On it was a long list with items, all in a very neat small handwriting, and at the bottom were indeed his name, and the number of his hydger. Whoever this mystery guest was, he was extremely well connected.

  "If you could please sign here, Seigner, for receiving the goods..." The boy held up a pen and the pocket-version of an ink well.

  Daniel signed the paper on a hand-made dotted line. "Can you tell me how I can move two carriages at the same time?" He had never done that. He wasn't even sure if it could be done.

  "Certainly, Seigner!" The boy first carefully blew the ink dry and tucked away the paper and the ink well. Then he showed Daniel how he could use his hydger to instruct one carriage to follow the other one. "I would advise you, Seigner, to ride in this here carriage. It is not so full," the boy threw in a free tip.

  Daniel stored his suitcase in the least loaded carriage, did the programming and linking trick and then sat down next to his suitcase. "Here goes," he mumbled, using the hydger to make the carriages rattle off to Tomlin's house. He checked through the window to make sure the other one was following. It did. Then he called Tomlin and informed his friend that he was on his way. "And it might be good to have an extra carriage for you guys. I'm bringing a lot of stuff."

  -=-=-

  "Holy shit, Daniel," Tomlin said as they inspected the crammed up carriages. "Are you planning to fly that boat around the planet?"

  "No. Just to the pirate's nest and back. But that could be on the other side," Daniel remarked.

  "Yeah. But we're going to get him," said one of the two rough men, the friends of the skipper. "And we're going to wring his neck." His large hands would certainly have no problem with that. Provided there was a neck to wring.

  They loaded up the things the other men had with them. It struck Daniel that Nadinka, Tomlin's wife, did not come outside. Perhaps this was something of the planet. Perhaps they had said goodbye already. This was not the time to ask and wonder about that. Not long after that, the three carriages went on their way. Daniel was riding alone in his carriage, as there was no space for Tomlin to squeeze in. They occasionally talked over their hydgers, until Aldrick's place came in view. There they faced a logistical problem.

  "It will take us hours to get all that stuff hauled and stowed on the airship, Daniel."

  Tomlin was right. Almost two carriages full of stuff, the gear the others had with them, and that over the path to the house and beyond. Then Daniel grinned. "I have an idea. Just you start unloading the stuff. I'll come back soon. I think." He quickly walked up the rabbit's trail to Aldrick's house. "Aldrick!"

  Fifteen minutes later, Tomlin stared up as he heard someone yell his name. "I'll be fucking damned..."

  The airship slowly came flying towards the carriages. On board were Daniel and Aldrick, who worked together to land the airship as close to the road as possible. There was not much wind, so they had room to play, and it worked well.

  The two wrestlers stared at the ship in disbelief. The captain was right there with them.

  "Aldrick? What are you doing here?" Tomlin asked, as he carried the first box to the ship.

  "I am coming with you," the man said. He was dressed in a bizarre black outfit and carried a sword on his belt. "I have decided that I have to come along. I know the airship. Mr. Zacharias here knows how to work the sails, but he cannot do it all alone, and you..." The words did not need to be spoken, Aldrick's facial expression said it all.

  Tomlin did not argue.

  They worked in a chain, handing the supplies over to the airship. It had hatches and storage compartments in the weirdest spots, and they almost all got filled up. The skipper kept a log what was stored where. Tomlin then sent the carriages off, back to where they belonged.

  The group boarded the airship. Aldrick pointed out a bucket with straps and a large roll of sail that was stashed under a row of seats. "You can make yourself useful with that in case it starts to rain," the inventor said. "Attach the straps to these lines, on the red marks, and then tie the sail to them. It should keep the rain from us."

  Most people noticed the 'should'.

  Abnezer and Phor
lis, the two wrestler types, preferred to sit on the ship's floor. They had not yet much confidence in this contraption, and avoiding seeing the actual flying seemed to make it better for them.

  The skipper unfolded his maps on the roof of the cabin, while Tomlin and Aldrick worked on the steam engine. Daniel was in the first mast, trying the wind and rolling down a few sails.

  "Here we go!" Aldrick sounded happy as a child as he pressed on the lever that added the gas for extra lift to the balloons.

  The hiss sounded evil. The balloons tightened up. Then, calmly, as if lifted by a giant's careful hand, the ship went up into the air. On a word from Aldrick, Tomlin brought in the staircase that hung from the side. The skipper placed his big compass on the maps, pointed out what course they should start on, and Daniel set the sails.

  Abnezer look at what Daniel did and got up. "Can I help?" As Daniel and he worked on the sails of the second mast, Phorlis decided he would get up later, as soon as he had gotten used to the swaying motion of the ship.

  As the airship picked up speed and altitude, its crew looked out over the land and the approaching water mass they would be flying over most of the time. It was, said the skipper, the shortest route.

  The first hours of the flight went by as smooth as a baby's freshly powdered behind. The weather was fine, the wind was fair and everyone seemed to have a reasonable time. Except for Phorlis, who had discovered the need to inform the fish beneath them about what he'd had for lunch several times.

  Tomlin and Abnezer sat at the bow of the airship, looking out over the waters. Far below them they saw a six mast ship sail. "Hey Daniel, come look at that thing!"

  Daniel, who had been talking to Aldrick, moved forward and looked. "Isn't that a spectacular view?" he asked. "And the Pricosine was larger. Two more masts and..." He looked at the ship again. Something was not right in the picture.

  "Daniel? Is something the matter?" Tomlin asked.

  "That's a ship of the Skinsh ko Talush," Daniel said, looking at the colours of the sails. He noticed also the course it was sailing. And that was not the same as they were holding!

  "Well, so?" Tomlin failed to see the problem.

  Daniel quickly went back aft and looked at the compass. "Aldrick, we're off course."

  "Oh, no, we are going straight ahead, Mr. Zacharias," the inventor tried to calm Daniel down.

  Daniel looked for the skipper, who had found a nice corner for a nap. Then he looked at the compass. "We are going west by north west, Aldrick. We have to go north by north west. Why did you change course?" As he asked it, he recalled that the steering wheel was useless.

  "I-" Aldrick started, but Daniel was on his way to the sails already. The sails were fine. They were strapped down, they could not move.

  "Something must have happened," Daniel called back at Aldrick.

  "Nothing did, Mr. Zacharias. I only added some more lift to the ship."

  "You what?" Daniel walked back to the inventor. "You made us go up?"

  "Yes. The view is nicer that way." Aldrick smiled innocently.

  "Take us down. Now," Daniel commanded. "Going up means that we get caught in a different layer of wind. That's what threw us off course." He had a hard time swallowing down the word 'idiot'. The inventor was an inventor, not someone who knew about winds.

  Aldrick stared at Daniel. "Mr. Zacharias... wind is wind..."

  "Aldrick. I beg you. First get us downwards until we're north by north west again. Then I will explain about wind. Please?"

  "Oh well..." Aldrick pulled a handful of wires and the balloons hissed.

  Daniel kept his eye on the compass. "Slowly... slowly... Hold it here for a while..." He made the inventor lower the airship a few more times, wondering how much he'd taken it up, until the compass showed they were going the right direction again.

  By then the skipper had woken up. Daniel told him what had happened. "Can you plot a new course?"

  The man nodded and started work on his map, occasionally staring out over the water. Finally he spoke the relieving words: "I think we're good again, Mr. Zacharias."

  Daniel hoped he was right.

  Night fell, and aboard the airship a set of oil lamps was lit. In the daytime they had decided on a night roster. Daniel and Abnezer would sleep in turn to man the sails. Tomlin, the skipper and Aldrick would keep watch in turns to make sure they were still on course. Phorlis was left out as he was still trying to become accustomed to the flying boat.

  The night went by without any disturbance. Daniel and Abnezer were rather groggy after their short naps, but the next day things went like clockwork. Changing the sails became routine, and Daniel more and more dared to fly under full sail, making the airship go very fast.

  On the third day, the skipper ordered all sails stricken. As the airship's speed was dropping to nothing, the skipper pointed at the map. "We should see these islands now."

  Tomlin looked at the compass and shrugged. He looked out over the water and shrugged again. "All nice and good, but where are they?"

  The skipper looked at the man in a devastating way. "I said that we -should- see them now. Navigation at sea is not an exact science, and here in the air it is even more difficult. Sir." It made for an uncomfortable moment.

  "I suggest we fly on for a while longer," Daniel said. "And if we don't find them, we can see about flying in expanding circles."

  Tomlin nodded. He knew the routine from back when he was still in active duty. "Works for me."

  "We could also fly higher," Aldrick chipped in, knowing he could be asking for problems.

  Daniel looked at the inventor for a moment. Then he looked over the side of the airship, making an educated guess on their current altitude. "That might help. Take us up, Aldrick. Skipper, keep the course. Abnezer! I need you on the sails!"

  They climbed. They flew on for an hour. And the islands came in sight.

  "Do you think they are hiding out there?" Daniel asked the skipper.

  "It is one of the options, Daniel. One of the six I have at hand. They're based on reports of other survivors. Unfortunately, they too can only guess where the pirates really are. But they have to be around here." The skipper dragged his finger around an area on the map that was too large for Daniel's taste.

  With some tricky manoeuvring, the crew managed to sail the airship around the islands. From the air, Daniel was certain, they should easily be able to spot ships as large as the Pricosine, and also the smaller merchant ship the pirates had used to raid them. But there were no ships to spot.

  "Where to next, skipper?" Daniel asked, disappointment on his face.

  A crashing sound made everyone look to Aldrick who stared at his feet. The hilt of his sword had fallen off and dropped on the bottom of the airship, which Daniel had named Flish.

  "Is your family heirloom falling apart?" Phorlis asked, who had gotten in shape by then.

  The skipper shook his head. "The chemicals of the water. They reach up to here."

  Daniel felt unpleasant by that news: they were over three hundred feet over the water's surface.

  The skipper told them the new course. Aldrick searched the layer of wind that was most favourable, which took them down to a mere ninety feet high. Abnezer and Daniel rigged the sails, assisted by Tomlin and Phorlis. At speed they left the islands.

  37. It's dangerous

  "How good are we on your extra lift gas, Aldrick?" Daniel asked.

  "That is all still fine, Mr. Zacharias," the inventor said after tapping a glass vial that was contained in a Polychlon mantel. Daniel had seen him do that often but had no idea what to look for.

  They had reached the second spot which was an option. It was as deserted as the islands, and they had proceeded to spot number three, which was a tremendous rock formation that rose up from the sea to astounding heights.

  "Good. We're going to need that perhaps," Daniel said. "Are you okay, Aldrick? You've been here for a while already again."

  "I can manage, Mr. Zacharias," the i
nventor said, but Daniel called Tomlin and asked if he could take over. There was something in the way Aldrick was moving his feet Daniel did not like.

  As Aldrick was lying down, the high rocks were coming into view. The skipper's calculation had been perfect: they were approaching the rock formation with the sun in their back, so the pirates, if they were there, would not see them until the last moment.