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.
9. The Pricosine
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.”
The bear approached them and held out a hand that ought to be registered as a lethal weapon. “Ulaman Xhylor. Captain of the Pricosine.”
“Daniel Zacharias.”
The handshake was formidable. The captain grinned. This man was worth a good handshake. “Welcome aboard, Seigner Zacharias.”
“Daniel will suffice, Captain Xhylor.”
“Great. I am sure we’ll get along well. Call me Ulaman. Mr. Slindris, I thank you for escorting the man up here. You must be busy.”
Daniel turned to a window and grinned at the way the captain was sending the serving man on his way.
Gaguran Slindris did not mind the hint, though. He did not like being on the ship, so he said his goodbyes and proceeded the journey back to the street where he would call for a carriage again.
Daniel immediately felt at home with the big sailor. Ulaman called for his wife, Xandree and introduced them. Then he gave Daniel the grand tour of the ship, which took just about the rest of the day. The knowledge Ulaman had of the ship was scary. Daniel was shown to a cabin he could call his and was also introduced to the crew, which was just a handful of people.
Daniel was surprised to find that the cook was a woman, the only other female on the ship, together with Ulaman’s wife. Draiky Trelodah was, to be honest, not the kind of woman that would get in trouble quickly. Her posture made it clear that she would start it, though.
The fact that he had taken off his coat and jacket, rolled up his sleeves and also that he did not wear a hat was definitely in his favour. He was invited to share a meal with them, which he gladly accepted. As the crew was eating, Ulaman told Daniel that he should be present the next day before noon.
“We’re sailing around the mid-day hour, when the tide is there to help us out,” the big man said. “It’s not a big run we make, the cargo is not very precious, but we’re one of the few that can carry the load.”
“I’ll be here, Ulaman. No problem. I am looking forward to learning more about this world, so if you have time, I am all ears.”
“Harumpf. I need you to be all ears, Daniel. That is what you are here for. Ears and brains.”
The crew waited for Daniel’s surprised face before they all laughed. He knew then that he would fit in with that gang.
Daniel was up early and packed some normal clothes in his bag. They would do on board. He picked up his special case also and made his way to the harbour. For that trip he had dressed in one of the suits. The previous day had shown him that the citizens of Skarak did pay attention to how he was dressed, the more as his appearance was quite off already, with his Bactine skin and his size. The people here were accepting foreigners,
