Bactine (8 page)

"A what?" Daniel did not remember reading or hearing about something called a hydger.

"You will probably get one soon, sir, do not worry. If you have no hydger, you just touch the copper plate and state the number that makes for the location where you want to go." Miss Ridding pointed at the row of numbers on Daniel's paper, beneath the name of the president of the Ship Owners Society. "Also hold your ring in front of the plate, to identify yourself. If the fare is pre-arranged no credit will be subtracted. Will you be well with this, sir, or would you require someone to escort you?"

"I will give this a try, Miss Ridding. Thank you. Is there a fail-safe system, or an emergency call in this carriage, in case things go wrong?"

Miss Ridding smiled at the ignorance of this tall man and his somewhat crumpled appearance. "What could possibly go wrong, Seigner? If you feel uncomfortable during the voyage, just touch the copper plate and tell the carriage to take you home. It will then bring you back here."

"Thank you. Miss Ridding. You are very kind."

"It is my work to assist people, sir. Have a pleasant stay." Miss Ridding smiled and nodded, then stepped back. She waited until Daniel had climbed into the carriage, touched the plate, recited the numbers and the carriage pulled away.

Daniel watched out the windows left and right as the carriage took him through the streets. Most of what he saw matched the things he had seen in the videos and pictures. He marvelled at the buildings and statues and gardens, grinned about the people who were walking around.

The carriage came to a halt in front of a building that had the shape of a boat. The carriage door opened, as a sign that the tour had ended. Daniel stepped out and walked up to the gate. It was closed. And remained closed. Behind him the carriage drove off. "And now..." Daniel wondered. He noticed a scratched brass plaque. On a hunch he held his ring against it. The gate swung open, allowing him access to the short greystone path that led up to the door of the building. "Swell. I'm really getting the hang of this." At the door to the building he looked for another brass plate. In vain. "So..."

The door opened. A man in a black suit, wearing a frivolous crème coloured shirt and a deep red tie, said: "May I help you?"

Daniel introduced himself. He needed the paper with the name again and carefully added 'president of the Ship Owners Society' again.

"Oh, absolutely, sir. We are awaiting you. My name is Varning. Would you please follow..."

Mr. Varning led Daniel up some majestic stairs and into a corridor that had a carpet thick enough to lose something in. There were paintings on the walls left and right, and lights burnt in small chandeliers everywhere. They stopped at a door, Varning knocked and proceeded inside without waiting.

"Seigner Skinsh ko Talush, sir Daniel Zacharias."

Daniel noticed that he was not a Seigner here, merely a sir. Not something he hated.

From behind a large dark desk that looked like it was made of wood of course, a lean man with grey hair and piercing blue eyes stepped to Daniel, extending a hand. "Welcome, Mr. Zacharias. How was your voyage? I am pleased that you came here speedily. Would you care for some tea perhaps, or another refreshment? Varning, some tea for Mr. Zacharias please."

"Certainly, Seigner," Mr. Varning smiled and with a correct bow he left the room.

Seigner Skinsh ko Talush offered Daniel a seat and detailed the problems that the Society was facing concerning the increased number of pirate attacks on their ships. "It has become a real problem, Mr. Zacharias," Waldo Skinsh ko Talush said. "That is why we have asked for support from outside. Our people are past their wits and we see no way to stop the pirates. There has been a lottery to decide on who's ship you will be sailing first. The lucky person is the honourable Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem. You will meet him shortly, and he will inform you of the specific details. Do you have any questions so far, sir?"

Daniel asked about weaponry and defence systems that were allowed aboard the ships, but the answer to that was rather vague. This did not appear to be Seigner Skinsh's forte.

There was a knock on the door and Mr. Varning entered, announcing the arrival of Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem. Behind him was a man of average height, blond-grey hair and blue eyes, but unlike those of the president of the Society. His clothing was immaculate, almost too perfect to be real.

After formal introductions, Clelem said: "Mr. Zacharias, you will be sailing on my ship, the Pricosine. My serving man, Mr. Slindris, will show you where it is once you have settled in. Until that time I will see to it that the skipper, Mr. Ulaman Xhylor, will be notified of your arrival. The Pricosine is in harbour at the moment, so that is a convenient coincidence."

Clelem struck Daniel as a nice man. Very strict and formal, but he had an open and honest appearance. "Thank you, Seigner," Daniel said, "I hope I will be able to do some good for your ship."

Clelem smiled. It was the smile of a man who was willing to forgive mistakes. "Very well. I trust that Seigner Skinsh will have a hydger for you, so communication and finding your way around will be simplified."

Daniel was not sure what to say to that, as this was the second time this mysterious 'hydger' came up and he had not clue what it was. He just looked at the president of the Society, who nodded and reached behind him. From a side table he picked up a small box and handed that to Daniel.

"There is a leaflet with the device that explains its workings, Mr. Zacharias," Seigner Skinsh said, being aware that Daniel might not know what to do with it. "If you care to examine the package, Varning will be able to elaborate on any issues you may encounter."

Varning had been waiting by the door. He looked at Daniel as he opened the door. "Sir?"

Daniel thanked his hosts and left the large office. Varning came right behind him and took him to a small meeting room.

"The hydger," he started as Daniel unpacked the box, "is the communication device we use on the planet. It can hold addresses of the people you contact frequently and it can also hold coordinates for their houses if they allow you to store them."

Basically it was like a telephone and a navigational system in one, Daniel discovered. It could also be used to send house coordinates to a carriage, which saved the trouble of papers and reading out the numbers. "Does everyone have a hydger?" he asked.

"The people that matter do, sir," Varning said with a smile. He then showed Daniel how to enter the coordinates to the place where he would be living, and how to summon a carriage, using the hydger.

Daniel thanked him and then was cordially escorted out of the building. Once in the street he took the strange book-shaped contraption, pressed the on-button and waited for the glossy display to light up. He chuckled at the weird technological thing he held in his hand and called for a carriage.

-=-=-

The carriage pulled up at the foot of a tremendously high building. It looked completely wrong here, as all the buildings he had seen so far had not gone higher than three or four floors. This thing was gigantic, he could not see where it ended. It had to be at least thirty storeys high. Still, this was the address, according to the coordinates.

Inside he found elevators, much to what he had expected on this planet. A box with a fence, being hoisted up on what probably were chains of some sort. His hydger did not make the thing move. His ring did.

The ride upwards was not as long as he had expected. The elevator let him out on a floor with a long unadorned corridor. The floor was made of a kind of stone, as were the walls, and the doors left and right were made of sturdy steel for a change. He found his room and to his relief also his gear. The boy at the Embarcado Circle had done well.

The apartment was simple but clean. Just the way Daniel liked it. He took off some of the more unpleasant clothes and then stood in front of the window, taking in the view. He was seriously high up for measures on this planet. Then he started unpacking, wondering if it would be terribly impolite to change into normal clothes.

The next morning Daniel heard a bell ring. He wondered what was going on as it rang again, accompanied by a modest knock on the door. That clarified things.

Outside his apartment stood a man, small even to NGC6637-VIII standards. "Mr. Daniel Zacharias?" he asked, lifting his hat. The man was dressed in a brown suit, a blue tie covering part of his white shirt.

"Indeed. That's me," Daniel nodded.

"Good. My name is Gaguran Slindris. Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem's serving man."

"Oh, right, I've been expecting you. Won't you come in?" Daniel stepped to the side.

"I would prefer it if you could step out, sir. I am here to take you to the harbour and introduce you to the captain of the Pricosine, Mr. Xhylor."

"Oh. Certainly." Daniel fetched his coat, made sure his ring and hydger were where he wanted them to be and followed Gaguran Slindris down the hall after locking the door. In relative silence the elevator brought them to the ground floor, where a carriage was waiting for them. Gaguran asked Daniel to take his hydger and then read out the coordinate address for the harbour. "You will be going there rather frequently, so it would serve you to store these numbers," he said. Daniel then operated the hydger and the brass plate to make the carriage go.

As they were travelling, Daniel tried to strike up a conversation. Gaguran however seemed to want to keep to himself, so the newly appointed security man satisfied himself by watching the changing scenery outside the coach.

The strange smell Daniel had noticed as he arrived on the planet was slowly getting stronger. He had to ask Gaguran about it.

"What you smell, Mr. Zacharias, is the water. We hardly notice it anymore, but people who are not from here... they do. You will get used to it. The smell is a result of chemicals in the water. Captain Xhylor will tell you all about this, and the ships that sail in it." He adequately cut off any of Daniel's questions that way.

The carriage stopped. They were at the harbour. After leaving their transportation they walked onto the shipyard, using a small gate that was away from the main entrance. The main entrance, Daniel saw, was an extremely crowded place where carts, open carriage and many people carrying things were streaming in and out.

Gaguran kept to the side, where the buildings were. Offices and warehouses lined up the long route they were walking along. Daniel gaped at the multitude of ships and the shapes they came in. It also struck him that they were all sailing ships. Very odd.

"The Pricosine is too large to be moored in this area," Gaguran announced voluntarily. "About ten more minutes, Mr. Zacharias. I assume you can keep up with me."

Daniel did not want to laugh. He had to slow down his sauntering, otherwise he would be pacing away from the short man within seconds. "I'll be fine, Mr. Slindris, do not worry or slow down on my behalf."

Gaguran unleashed a barely noticeable nod and they continued. After a last turn, they had arrived. Three ships were tied to the quay with monstrous cable.

Daniel stopped and stared. "Holy crap." The ships were not mere ships, they were floating villages. The last ship on the ropes was the Pricosine, its name blinked in the sunlight. It sported eight masts and was high as a mountain.

Gaguran stopped also and nodded approvingly at Daniel's surprise. "Indeed, although I would appreciate if you were to watch your language somewhat, Mr. Zacharias. I am certain the lowly sailor folk would appreciate that expression, but I doubt you want to be counted among their ranks."

They walked up to the gangway of the ship. It was laid out in a slalom kind of way and proved to be quite the climb before they reached the top. Daniel almost felt pity for the small man. Gaguran needed two stops to catch his breath, but he made it to the top without assistance or complaints. It was clear to Daniel though, that the man preferred to watch the ship from far away.

The deck was an enormous space, as Daniel had already expected. As they crossed it, to reach the stairs that led up to a high building on the ship, he also noticed that the people who were aboard all ignored Gaguran. Not the best of friends, obviously.

They reached the top of the stairs and from there stepped on a platform that circled a room on top of the high-rise. The view from there was spectacular. Daniel was almost able to oversee the entire harbour, which was a considerable feat. Gaguran did not have time for that though, he pushed on into the room. It turned out to be the bridge of the ship.

"Captain Xhylor," said Gaguran.

On the sound of Gaguran's voice a bear-shaped man rose up from a table. He was almost as tall as Daniel. His black hair was cut short and he wore sturdy grey clothes. A suit, Daniel thought, would look ridiculous on this man.

"Mr. Slindris," the bear roared, "welcome aboard. How are you? And how is the Seigner?"

"Enough of that, captain," said Gaguran. "This is the security agent we have discussed. Mr. Zacharias."