“I most certainly do not… kid… sir. If you would please follow me to the exit. The porter will bring your luggage.”
Daniel was taken to a small hall where four other men were waiting. There also was a woman. Gentlemen, he corrected himself. Gentlemen, and a lady. Dressed in the old fashioned things he and Rhonda had laughed about before.
The flight attendant showed Daniel to a brass handle. “Hold on to this, sir. You may find that the entry into the atmosphere can be rather disheartening, there is however no reason for alarm.”
“Thank you.” Daniel tested the grip. It felt solid. “I appreciate your service, sir.”
“The pleasure was entirely mine, sir, but I thank you.”
As the man left them, Daniel was certain that the flight attendant had had more than his share of fun over his fumbling with these clothes. His ponderings were broken up by a slight tremble of the floor.
“Oh my,” the lady said, reaching out and finding support on Daniel’s arm. “I do hope you don’t mind, sir.”
“That’s quite alright, ma… my lady.” Close call, just in time. To avoid further mishaps, he stared at the door that was the way out of this crate. A crate, he had to admit, that had held together pretty well. The door looked like it was lined with real wood. He shook his head. This was all a dream.
The dream shuddered once more, there was a hiss that made the lady grab hold of Daniel’s arm one more time and then there were footsteps outside the spacecraft. The door swung open and a man in a black uniform greeted them. “Welcome, dear lady, gentlemen. Please mind your step. Do let me lend you a hand, my lady…”
Moments later, Daniel found himself standing on a large platform, about sixty by forty feet. It also looked as if it was made of wood. There was a high fence-like railing around it from the same material. The uniformed man ushered them away from the spacecraft and waited for the porter to bring out the luggage. Then he closed its door.
Daniel watched it happen in disbelief. There he was, on some impossible platform wherever, a spacecraft hanging next to it, and people unloading as if they stepped out of a magnet train.
The uniformed man shoved a piece of the fencing to the side, so the spaceship’s door was no longer visible. “The gondola will be here any moment, I hope you will allow for some time.” A shudder ran through the platform as the spacecraft fired up some propulsion system and moved away from the platform. “No cause for alarm,” the man in black said, “the ship will not leave until we are well and safe aboard the gondola.”
Daniel took the man to the side. “Excuse me. I am new here.”
The man smiled. “Yes, sir, you are indeed.”
“Can you explain to me where we are and what we are waiting for?”
“Naturally, sir. We are at the embarkation platform. This is platform 1, it is the eldest of the twelve on the planet. We are at this moment twelve thousand feet over the surface of the planet. A gondola is on its ascent and will collect us once it arrives. The gondola, of course, will bring us to the surface safely.”
Daniel looked around over the fences. “Can you tell me what keeps this platform here?”
“Nothing, sir. Well, nothing in the way of support beams and such, I assume you are referring to that.”
“Right…”
“Anything else I can help you with, sir?”
“No. Thank you. This is enough for now.” The thought of being this high on a wooden platform that just hung there was something he was not prepared for. It gave him a feeling that he had not had in his entire space career.
The gondola, when it arrived, was another surprise. Not that he’d had any idea what it might look like, but he had not expected something that resembled a closed carriage.
The man in uniform opened another gate in the fence as there was a knock on it. “Good day, Bradnik,” he said to a man who came out of the carriage.
“Wishing you a good day, Fderroh,” said the man. He was impeccable in appearance. “Lady, gentlemen. My apologies for the delay. Your belongings will be loaded up speedily. If you would please board the gondola…”
Fderroh, in his black uniform, quickly worked to get the suitcases and trunks loaded into compartments of the carriage and then Bradnik came in again also. The carriage rocked slightly as he moved and took the seat marked ‘reserved’.
“Welcome aboard, esteemed guests. We will now commence the journey to the surface. Please sit back and enjoy the view. If you are not inclined to look outside, I have a few newspapers here for your entertainment. The very newspapers that caused the delay, I hasten to add.” He then pulled a few brass levers, kicked a pedal and sat back with a professional stare directed to the outside.
Chains rattled and after a slight jolt the gondola started downwards in a way that was so smooth that Daniel could not believe it. He was not really able to look outside as he was squeezed in between two of the gentlemen, so he opted for a newspaper. That was not a lucky choice either: he had no space at all to fold open the large sheets of paper. He ended up skimming the few headlines he could make out and silently praised the speed learning training he’d done to actually be able to read the language of this planet.
A bump announced the end of the ride. Everyone was helped out of the carriage by a young man who stood by, pointing out the two steps down and ‘take care not to trip’.
Daniel thanked him and stepped out on a round platform- no, this was not a platform. This was a circle, paved with cobblestones and sand. He resisted the urge to bend down and touch the floor. He got out of the way after assuring that his now three pieces of luggage were unloaded. The chest with his new clothes surpassed both other items together in size.
The smell of the place filled his nostrils. There was a strange scent in it, something he could not place. He blamed the Bactine implements for it and decided to ignore it as nobody seemed to be bothered by it. If, at all, they noticed it.
A sign told him he was standing on Embarcado Circle. All around the circle, people were walking, not paying attention to the affair with the gondola. Daniel also saw carriages of all kinds and shapes, occupied and empty, move around. They made no sound except for the wheels rattling on the street. Then he looked around for someone who might be able to help him.
Another young man, merely a rather grown up kid, walked up to him, as if waiting for this cue. “Sir? Are you looking for help?” He had a sign on the lapel of his coat, stating that his name was Mr. Benjin and he was an employee of the Airlift Enterprise.
“Yes, I am. I need someone to bring my luggage to this address…” Daniel fumbled a piece of paper from his pocket, checked that it was the right one and handed it to the boy.
“I can arrange that, sir, no problem, sir.” Mr. Benjin lifted a small wooden box with a round brass plaque on it. The plaque was severely scratched.
Daniel stared at the box, then at the boy, not making the connection for several long seconds. “Oh, crap,” it escaped from him. Well done, Daniel. Two minutes on the face of this planet and you already kick protocol in the balls, he told himself. He fumbled with the ring he was now wearing, aimed and tapped the ring’s green stone against the brass plaque. It would deduct a number of credits from some shady bank account he should have here.
“Thank you sir,” the boy said. “Is there anything else of your wishing?”
Daniel felt uncomfortable with all this sir stuff. He found another paper. “Yes. I need transportation to Seigner Waldo Skinsh ko Talush.” He hoped he pronounced the name correctly, which was doubtful given the puzzled expression of Mr. Benjin. “He is the president of the Ship Owner Society?”
The boy’s face lit up. “Of course, sir.” To Daniel it almost sounded like ‘learn to pronounce our language, idiot.’ The young man, dressed in a shrunken version of the suits Daniel saw all around, asked him to follow.
8. The mission
Mr. Benjin guided Daniel over one of the many pathways that were cutting through the meticulously maintained lawn that lay around the Embarcado Circle. At the end of the path was a funny looking building, a mix of a tent and a waiting room. Inside were benches with cushions, tables with refreshments and a friendly young lady
