“This is wrong. This has to be wrong. No way that they dress like that over there, and I am not going to walk around in a penguin suit like that!” Daniel waved a finger at the tablet which did not care about that. “No no no. Not me.”
Rhonda contained her laughter and grabbed the tablet. “Dress regulations on NGC6637-VIII. The people are very strict in their clothing arrangements. Short-term visitors will be accepted in their traditional garments-”
“Oh good. That’s me,” Daniel said, relieved.
“-but for people who stay on the surface for longer than a week, it is compulsory to wear the proper attire.”
“I’m screwed,” Daniel understood. “I am terminally screwed.”
The image showed two gentlemen and two ladies. The men sported dark suits, resembling what people used to wear in the early 1900s on old Earth. One of them had even grown a large moustache under his nose. Daniel shuddered. The ladies wore wide, flowing dresses, in beautiful colours. One of them carried a small umbrella-
“Hey. Wait. What’s wrong in that picture?” he asked.
Rhonda, who had been looking at the dresses with growing disgust, frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There. That thing. Umbrella. Is that normal?”
Rhonda scrutinised the picture. “Dunno. I’m the wrong person to ask about women’s clothes, Daniel. You should find a more reliable source for that. Just be glad it’s the boys wearing suits and the girls wearing skirts. I once was on Ophelius. You’d really have to-” At that point she was interrupted by a beep-signal. “Damn. Emergencies coming in. I have to run, Daniel.” She jumped up and sped off.
Daniel watched her go and wondered what he would have to, on Ophelius. A blinking light in a corner took his attention away from Ophelius as well as the people in the picture. He opened the message.
“Orders and information for your imminent mission to NGC6637-VIII.
Mission: you are to assist the Ship Owners Society of NGC6637-VIII in securing their sea faring vessels. The Society has requested security assistance for their vessels, as pirates have been engaging their ships in battle and ‘captured crew and cargo, sinking the ships’.
Upon arrival at the planet, you are to report to Seigner Waldo Skinsh ko Talush who will inform you in more detail. You are under all circumstances obligated to adhere to local protocol.
Departure: you will be leaving on a shuttle from platform Delta 1 tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.
Others: Before being taken to NGC6637-VIII, you will stop at space station Red Eagle where your attire will be made to fit.”
Attire will be made to fit. These were the only words in the message that seriously loomed over Daniel. “Did I mention being screwed?” he asked the tablet. “Pirates. I hope they don’t expect me to go fight some bloody Captain Hook!”
7. NGC6637-VIII
Half an hour before his ride would come in Daniel sat on his small trunk with his things. A bag with extras lay on the ground next to him. Platform Delta 1 was deserted, which suited him fine, although he would have liked to see a few people before leaving.
There were footsteps. Daniel got up and looked, hoping to see Rhonda, or Burt. He was not happy when he saw the shape of the oncoming person.
“Daniela, girl!”
“Crap.”
“I knew you would be happy to see me!” Troy held out his arms, as if he expected Daniel to come running. “Ludo, come here and say goodbye to Daniela!”
The man stepped out of the tunnel. “Daniel.”
“Glarn!” The voice sounded like whip.
Troy spun around as if he had been stung by something. “Trainer O’Shaughnessy.”
Daniel breathed again. “Burt.”
“I would sincerely advise you to report to your commanding officer, Troy Glarn.” Burt stood next to Ludo, arms crossed over his chest.
Troy looked at Daniel, his eyes full of anger, but with Burt around he did not dare to say more. Witnesses were evil things. Without another word he turned and marched off into the tunnel. “Ludo!”
“Ludo stays here, it is you they are looking for,” Burt calmly said, holding Ludo back.
Troy looked even less pleased, then he walked on. Echoes of cursing came from the tunnel, painting a grin on Burt’s face. “He is going to have a really nice surprise,” the trainer said. “And you, Ludo, should stop being his dog. Troy is going off-base, so it is time that you make your own plans.”
“Off-base?” Ludo and Daniel asked at the same time.
“Yup. Since it sucks what stunt he pulled on you, I pulled one on him. I made a few calls and arranged for Troy to get his own command.”
“You what?!” Daniel could not believe his ears.
“Ever hear of Trados Noxos?” Everyone who had ever been further away from Earth than a light year knew something about Trados Noxos.
“The planet of shit?” Daniel asked, first in disbelief, then with an ever expanding smile. It wasn’t exactly a planet of shit, but the smell there made you believe that, according to the reports.
“He’s going to be there for a while,” Burt said with a wink.
“Hey, good, you’re still here!” That was Rhonda’s voice. The Head Medical Officer came sauntering through the tunnel. As she emerged, she hugged Burt and then Daniel. “Troy looked like he was kicked in the balls,” she remarked. “What was that for?”
Daniel told her what had happened. It made her grin.
His friends stayed with him until the shuttle had arrived and he had to leave. Burt shook his hand. So did Ludo. And Rhonda did that also. “Good luck, Daniel. Find a way to stay in touch, okay?”
Daniel nodded. “I have the standard transmitter here. It should work. Even there.” He picked up his trunk and bag and walked to the airlock that would lead him into the shuttle. Just before going through it he looked back. The three people stood watching him. Two were waving. He shouldered the door and quickly went through it.
“Sir, we are approaching our destination. I would like to go through the disembarkation procedure with you.”
“Eurhm?” Daniel woke up and looked into the face of the man whom he only knew as ‘the flight attendant’. After his business on space station Red Eagle, he had come aboard a spacecraft that was hardly worth the name. The few people aboard had assured him it was safe. He would have to take their word for it.
There was rather worn red carpet on the floor everywhere in the craft. He had a room in it. Not a cabin. It was a genuine room. There was a real bed with a cover that felt as if there was something non-synthetic in it. It was heavy. He discovered a real shower. There was a table with a cloth on it in a corner of the room, and flowers, and a few candles. A chair was there too, with its legs ending in what looked like animal paws. On the wall hung a large mirror with a thick brass frame; the frame looked like it was infested with grapevines.
At the moment the flight attendant had notified him, he had been dozing in the lounge of the spacecraft, something that would have looked perfect in a gentlemen’s club in ancient times on Earth.
The flight attendant smiled benignly at the space soldier who removed himself from the deep leather chair and fumbled with his tie. “If you’d allow me, sir.” With quick movements and a few pats, the man rearranged Daniel’s obligatory attire into something more or less acceptable.
Daniel suppressed the obligatory groan. This had happened every time he had gotten up, and he had so far not gotten it right. Three days on Red Eagle had not been enough. Three years would be better, but there was no time for that.
The flight attendant then explained the manner in which Daniel would be taken to the surface of the planet.
“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?” he asked after hearing the man out.
