Bactine (26 page)

Daniel took the envelope. "Would you care to first tell me what is in it, sir?"

The president smiled. "Please, first read the letter, Mr. Zacharias."

Daniel opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. There was only a small amount of text on it.

'Hereby we declare that Mr. Daniel Zacharias will be released from duty on the ships of Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem.

Mr. Zacharias' release is honourful. He will retain his current wages for a maximum duration of six months, starting at the date written at the bottom of this document.

Signed: Skinsh ko Talush, President.'

Daniel read it again, then looked at the man opposite him. "I don't understand, sir. Seigner Dandra ko Galem is apparently angry with me, to say the least. And then this?" He put the paper on the desk.

Seigner Skinsh ko Talush nodded. "Yes. He is quite angry indeed. He was very much opposed to this statement, but I feel he is in error. You have done what you could. You put your life in danger for his ships and crew more than once." The man got to his feet. "You are a good man, Mr. Zacharias. I am saddened by all the events lately that have made your life here not a more pleasurable one. I would suggest that you return to your home and take care of yourself. The authorities have already been contacted with a formal request that a search be done for the Pricosine. That is, for now, all I can do. If there are developments, either on the ship or on a new position for you, I will inform you."

Daniel did not grasp the situation. Did not want to. "I want to help find the Pricosine, sir. The pirate that tossed me, that kidnapped the crew, he owes me. Dearly."

The president of the Ship Owners Society came from behind his desk and put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, a sign of affection Daniel would not have thought possible in this man. "Mr. Zacharias, please. You are in no shape to go out again. Please take my advice, go home, recover. I will contact you if anything becomes clear, or when we need you. You have my solemn word on this."

Daniel gave in. There was no way he could fight back from here, evidently. He signed the paper, watched the president sign it also, and tucked the envelope in his pocket.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate what you do for me. I really do."

"That is quite alright, Mr. Zacharias. Be well."

They shook hands, and then Varning showed Daniel out. "Good luck, sir. And if you don't mind me saying so: you are a hero."

On the way home, Daniel felt far from a hero.

In an office, a grey-haired man tore up an envelope, and with it the dishonourable discharge letter Clelem Dandra ko Galem had insisted on.

-=-=-

Daniel stepped out of the shower, towelled himself dry and dressed casually. He was not in a mood to go out. From his chair he stared out of the window, unable to take his eyes from the empty spot in the harbour where the Pricosine should be. Again, no - still he worried about his friends on board. That crazy pirate son of a bitch probably was capable of anything, judging from what he had done to Daniel. He ate some things from the basket he'd gotten, then lay down on his bed.

Somewhat to his horror, Daniel discovered he had been sleeping. The light and shadows in his room told him the day was on its way to a close. He stared at the ceiling, a million thoughts running through his head. Where was Rhonda? Where was the ship? What the hell was wrong with him? What had made Clelem take this irrational decision? What was he going to do next?

Daniel got up from the bed to find out that just about every part of his body ached. Glandrine was all good and fine, but Bactine still beat it in many respects. He picked up the hydger from the table. The box was amazing, he thought. It had survived the ordeal in the ocean, it just had needed to dry out and then functioned like new.

Daniel flipped it open and switched on the small round display. In thought he paged through the list of contacts. As the relay address for the star base appeared, he stopped and looked at it. Yes. Maybe he should send them a message. Report about this failure, and ask to be reassigned. With some luck, he wryly thought, he could be the errand boy for Troy, on the shit planet, Trados Noxos. Now there was a thought. And Malcolm would love that.

No. He closed the hydger and put it down. He did not deserve that. There had to be a different way to get out of this mess. Waiting for actions on the end of Seigner Skinsh ko Talush was one thing, but that did not mean he'd have to sit around on his butt and let the world arrange things for him. He'd never done that, so why start now?

First he should get out of his current state of mind and get some constructive thinking done. Daniel knew that his room was not the place for that, so he hoisted himself in one of his suits and then made his way to one of the restaurants he knew and liked.

As he walked down the street, his goal already in view, the hydger in his pocket made itself known. Daniel found a quiet spot to the side of the street and answered the call. To his surprise the sign of Dandra ko Galem was on the display, but there was no name information. His curiosity was pinched. He flipped the switch.

"Mr. Zacharias. I am glad you found the time to reply." Warlem, Clelem's son, was looking at Daniel from the small screen.

"Seigner Dandra ko Galem. I am very surprised."

Warlem smiled. "I understand. It was not hard to discover what had happened to you and the ship of my father. And my father was also quite loud about his renewed opinion about you, which I think is entirely inappropriate." The young man looked sideways, as if making sure he could speak freely. "I would like to meet with you, Mr. Zacharias. To personally apologise for what has been done to you."

Daniel was flabbergasted. This was not what he had expected at all. "That is very kind of you, sir. I was on my way for supper. Is there a way we could combine meeting and a meal?"

"Of course," Warlem said. "I would be honoured if you allow me to invite you for supper. Let me send you the address of a good restaurant. Call a carriage, expenses will be covered, and I hope to see you in, let's say, half an hour?"

Daniel looked at the entrance of the restaurant that the carriage had delivered him at. It looked as if just watching the door would already cost credits.

Inside, Warlem was already waiting. He treated Daniel to a magnificent meal, as they talked about all kinds of things, like justice and opportunities to get by on this planet. When Daniel brought up the idea of just quitting the whole thing and and moving away to his sister's area, Warlem advised against that.

"There are so many ways to do things, Daniel. Running away will not help you, I am certain. I believe there is many a ship owner who will employ you, despite of what happened - I mean because of what you did. It is finding the right one, one that can influence this man, Skinsh something, of the Society."

"I am not sure if that is the way to do things, Warlem. After all, I failed in my job. That will be held against me."

"Listen, Daniel, my friend. You almost single-handedly beat off the pirates in their first attack. It almost killed you, yet you were still around and willing to take them on again. If that does not make you a hero in many a man's eye, then I am not of this world."

Daniel pondered that for a while. The memory of meeting Huajo Dogom ko Tzuy waved at him. That might be a way back in. After all, the man had offered him a position.

After all the serious topics, Warlem changed to lighter material. He brought up the soirée and how much he had enjoyed Daniel's being there. "Oh, I forgot. My sister does very much not send her best." The man's face revealed that he was proud and amused to convey that bit of information.

Daniel grinned. "I am sure. She was not very happy, that evening."

Warlem nodded. "Yet, after you had left, she mentioned something to me, in private. She told me that you had saved her, and she felt very good about that. Even though her feelings toward you remain hostile." His grinning face told Daniel what that was all about. Gaguran Slindris, the man who was stalking her.

"She is really bothered by the attention of her father's serving man, isn't she?"

"You have no idea, Daniel. I would like my father to send the man walking. It is one thing to see my sister so worked about about someone, this being you, but it is quite another to see her be frustrated with this unwanted attention."

"Have you mentioned that to your father?"

Warlem looked at Daniel. "Tell my father. No. I am the family drop-out, Daniel. Nobody listens to me anyway. And nobody tells my father anything."

Daniel promptly recalled the moment where Rayko had refused to accompany him for the evening, and the way Clelem had simply shoved her over, not taking no for an answer even from his daughter. He nodded. "Yes, so it seems."

"Believe me, Daniel. The best way to stay alive around these parts is not to cross my father."

Now that was quite an allegation, Daniel thought. And that from his own son.

Warlem emptied his glass. "It is becoming late, Daniel. I should not be keeping you any longer, but please know that I very much enjoyed this talk and getting to know you better."

Daniel took the hint with pleasure. He was getting tired again. Already.

The men said their goodbyes. Daniel, on the way home, had plenty of things to think about again.

-=-=-

Daniel had gone to bed early. Because of that he woke up early. Far too early. His head was awake, his body refused to play along. As a result, he was not able to run away from the thoughts that came to him. Thoughts about his brother and his sister, and how well they were doing. Inevitably there were the thoughts about how Malcolm would be laughing at him about his current situation. At one point he had made up his mind: he was going to send a message to his sister and ask her if there was a good place near her where he could live. He'd file for some kind of disability with the military and retire. There would be something like a job for him somewhere to get through the days.

He turned around in his bed. The movement threw down the card house of thoughts he had built so carefully. He could not give up like that. There were people who might be counting on him. But were they? They might assume him to have died. Maybe the people he wanted to rescue were dead already. Maybe they were already being rescued by the police of the planet. Or by people Skinsh ko Talush had summoned. Or not?

In the end it was the storm of maybes and other unknowns that woke him up for real. He kicked the covers from him and rubbed his face to chase away the ghosts that were haunting him.

Daniel got up and avoided looking out the window as he made for the bathroom where he splashed cold water in his face to make sure the haunting was over. On the way back into the room, he stopped at the window and stared. He missed the ship and knew there was little he could do.

As he got dressed, he recalled the talk he'd had with Warlem. Maybe visiting Huajo was an idea...

After breakfast, he took his hydger and looked up the number of the ship owner. After a hesitation, he requested the connection.

"Mr. Zacharias. May I say that I am surprised?" The round face of Huajo Dogom ko Tzuy appeared in the screen.

Daniel had not expected that the man would actually reply, but there he was. "Good morning, Seigner. I am certain that you are surprised about my call and I hope you forgive me."

"Naturally, sir. Had I not forgiven you, I would not have accepted the call." The face looked friendly and waiting.

"I would like to speak with you, sir."

Huajo nodded. "Yes. I can see that you want that. As a matter of fact, I would appreciate a word with you as well. Would you be able to come to my residence?"

"Yes, sir. Of course."

Not long after that, Daniel was in a carriage, on his way to the Zoroon community where also Clelem's house was. The trip took him along much of the same road, but instead of rolling up the path to where the floater platform for Clelem's house was, the carriage pushed on along the wider road along the waterline, until it reached a very nice house.

Daniel walked up a slight slope towards a fence. There was a gate in it, open and welcoming. He wondered why the house was built so close to the water. One good storm would wreak havoc on the building, he was sure.

He approached the reception building that was located in a small front side garden and held his ring in front of the copper plate. The door opened for him. Inside there was nobody to greet him, which was somewhat of a surprise. He put away his coat and walked through the transparent tunnel he had already expected.

Daniel grinned. He was becoming something like a native. From the tunnel he saw that the front side garden was continued behind the reception house. It struck him as a wilderness more than anything else; the difference with the stylish, almost manicured garden at the Dandra ko Galem house was almost painful.

At the end of the tunnel, a servant, a woman, was waiting for him. She greeted him and led him through the house to an office. The house style showed the character of its owner. Everything was large, almost pompous, flamboyant and welcoming. The office was located outside the actual house, in a sphere that was made of the same transparent material as the tunnel he had come through. Behind a large white desk, Huajo was shuffling papers, without real zeal. As the servant woman announced Daniel's arrival, the man looked relieved.