Bactine (10 page)

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 continuous 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.

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.

"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.