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Cait boarded the bridge just after the Rose pulled out of the harbor. Their perpetual Travelers were settling in, Tre doling out their responsibilities, while Billy prepared dinner for the crew. Typically, Travelers preferred to cook their own food, though Tami and Patel had stayed long enough at this point to earn a seat at the dinner table; their company was welcomed.
The Rose’s crew was too small for a ship her size. There were five of them, only five, and she could have used many, many more. Everyone had to pull double duty, at the very least. Tre found the guests and cargo, arranged docking at ports, and put out the call for temporary and full-time hands. Billy the doctor often acted as a chef, having a fortunate lack of sick or injured. Xiphos manned the helm at night, and cleaned during the day. Nina made sure the guests were happy, and did whatever else needed to be done. And Cait ran all of it, filling in every role when it was needed. Things were easier when she had the crew, but that had been over a year ago.
Xiphos sat in the helm’s chair, a comfortable seat that pulled up to the wheel and controls. Around her were half a dozen screens on adjustable arms, displaying information about the ship, weather conditions from the Relay — generally everything a helmsman could want to know. She sat in the eye, or the bubble, or the viewport, a clear, shallow dome that extended out past the curve of the Rose just a little, giving the impression that Cait and her crew traveled in a giant cycloptic sea creature.
That is to say, the Rose looked weird. Of all the boats on the sea, the beautiful at the top and the utilitarian at the bottom, the Rose sat below utilitarian and eyed beautiful suspiciously. She was jet-driven, water inhaled through what looked like a giant gaping maw under the eye and forced through tubes in the hull. Her cylindrical body was common for subs, though she was wider than she was tall. She was noticeable from every angle, and Cait loved her.
Cait placed a hand on Xiphos’s chair, and the cat looked up at her, her neatly-brushed headfur falling in front of her eyes a little.
“Sir? She smiled, seemingly unwary of Cait’s authority. Xiphos had been that way ever since she had come aboard the Rose, able enough to do a job, and defiant enough to made Cait’s life difficult when she wanted to. Still, she was loyal, despite her arguing; she had long ago proven her worth to Cait.
“How long until we are on course?” Cait looked over Xiphos’s head to the monitors, watching her little boat leave little dots behind it. A pulse went out, and tiny waves made blips across the screen. Behind, the busy port blinked back a mass of iconographic boats and abbreviated names. A few ships in front of them sent back identification.
“Not long,” Xiphos said. She punched a few buttons on the side of the screen. “About fifteen minutes before I can open her up, then it’s a three day straight trip.”
Cait nodded. “I will be in my office. When we are on course, put on the auto-pilot and report to me. I have a job for you.”
Xiphos nodded, trying to contain a smile. Her tail twitched at her side, and she focused back on the ocean outside the eye.
Cait’s office sat just outside the bridge, connected by a door, and stood guard to her own quarters. She didn’t like being separated from the crew, but she was always seconds away from the bridge, and that was far more important. Her quarters weren’t much bigger than a normal crew bunk, except she had the luxury of not having to share with another person. And head room. Glorious head room.
The office was just large enough to accommodate a desk and a filing cabinet, and a few chairs. Cait sat down, returning to the manifest she had left earlier. She poured herself water from an electric kettle, added some Molyneux tea, and went back to her study.
The painting wouldn’t leave her alone. Billy was right about it being weird. The detail was precise, and given what little she knew about the materials used, it had to have been old. It felt like a hoax, but it wasn’t perfect enough to be a hoax.
The ship near the Kraken really threw her. Perhaps it was a warning, the way older map makers would write in “Here Be Thee Krakkan,” in big, ominous letters. But the boat looked new, and so Cait had to imagine the cartographer had either incredible foresight or a loose imagination.
The chime on Cait’s door sounded. Xiphos stood outside, hands behind her back.
“You needed me, sir?” She asked, still trying to contain her smile.
Cait stood, and started down the narrow hallway to the crew quarters. “I need you to look after something we picked up today.”
Xiphos followed along, hands still behind her back, her tail still twitching with interest.
“I’m not sure I get it, sir.” Xiphos tilted her head. “Are we expecting trouble?”
“I am hoping it is nothing, but Nothing never likes to behave like it should.”
“Is this the thing from the collector? Am I guarding it? There’s rumors-”
“Rumours? It has only been an hour.”
Xiphos’s ears fell back a little. “Sorry.”
Xiphos and Billy had built a little alliance early on in their relationship. They both seemed to share the same stubbornness, the same unyielding need to question Cait’s authority. Cait didn’t doubt Xiphos knew the painting was on board before she did.
“It is not the painting,” Cait said, ducking through the hatch into the crew quarters. “His name is Tobias.”
The boy sat a the couch in the middle of the crew quarters, alert, watching all around him. His ears perked when he heard his name, and then dropped almost immediately.
Xiphos stared at Tobias, her hands moving to her hips. Her ears leveled out, her eyes narrowed, her mouth pulled up into a tight slit. She looked back up at Cait. “Really?”
Cait tilted her head. “Is there a problem?”
“He’s a Colony boy. You want me to watch over a Continental. What’s he going to do? What does he know about sailing?”
“You know a lot about sailing, do you?” Cait asked, her hands disappearing into her coat pockets.
“More than he does. Much more.” Xiphos balled her hands into fists, as if to hold her rage inside them.
“Hmm,” Cait said. “Then you can teach him.”
Xiphos started to speak, but faltered against the trap she had fallen into. She folded her arms across her chest and turned to squint at Tobias. He watched back, playing with his hands and trying to look small and harmless.
“You are going to be in charge of Tobias here. Make sure he had reasonable work to do.”
Xiphos opened her mouth to speak.
“Reasonable, helmsman,” Cait said. “You are to make sure he stays safe, to train him on how we work on the ocean, and what you know about working on a ship. That is to say, I am placing his success in your hands. If he gets hurt, you will be the first person I come to. If he disappears in a port, I will want to know why you are not with him. Am I being clear, Xiphos?”
Xiphos fumed behind her folded arms.
“Helmsman Haari, have I made myself clear?” Cait raised her voice. Tobias jumped.
“Yes, sir, Xiphos said.
“Do you understand, Tobias?”
The boy looked up at Cait and nodded, his eyes wide.
“Good,” Cait said. “Xiphos, give him a tour of the Rose. I will be in my office.”
Cait left the crew quarters, and Xiphos and Tobias were alone. Xiphos didn’t move, still starting at Tobias. Tobias fidgeted, trying his best not to be noticed by Xiphos.
“You’re Continental,” Xiphos said. It wasn’t a question.
Tobias nodded.
“What are you doing here?”
Tobias looked up at Xiphos, searching her for intent. He shrugged.
“Most of you wouldn’t leave the continent unless you had to. So what is it? Break the law? Run away?” Her ear twitched. “Stow away?”
Tobias shook his head. He tried to shrink away even further.
After a moment, Xiphos unfolded her arms. “Whatever. Come on.”
—
Xiphos started her tour in the crew quarters. Around the center of a cramped open area were the cabins, narrow rooms with two bunks a piece, enough to house two crew members and their belongings. Currently, each crew member had their own bunk, their empty bunk often used for storage. Tami and Patel shared one cabin; Cait never bunked Travelers and her crew in the same berth. There was a kitchenette off in one of the corners of the common area, complete with an electric kettle, rumbling its way into a boil, and coffee maker, the pot still half-full from that morning. A few plates had been stuck on a rack next to the sink, ready to be washed. One crew member had commandeered a quiet corner next to the washer to hang up some clothing to dry. Somewhere behind the clothes, another crew member’s clothing tumble steadily in a dryer. In the center of the common area was a Relay receiver, with a collection of comfortable looking chairs and sofas crammed in around it. It had been left on, its volume turned down, and a man mumbled news from its speaker.
“It only works on the surface,” Xiphos informed Tobias, scowling at the receiver. In the narrow sections of wall, slid in with seemingly no pattern or plan, were a few narrow but well stocked book shelves, with bars across the books to keep them from falling off. Tobias spotted a chart of some sort, with what looked like crew names and responsibilities, and little initials next to each one, though it looked like they were only half way through the chart.
Xiphos took Tobias through the back entrance of the crew quarters, out into the cargo bay — she waved her hand absently at the expanse — and up some steps to the guest quarters.
Their foot falls echoed on the hard wood floor as they stepped in through the hatch. Small tables were arranged on one side of the semi-circular room, made from a warm, dark wood. Little lamps sat on the top of each table, brushed metal with dark green glass shades. Looking closer, Tobias noticed a fine sheen of dust on each lamp. Across the room, on a bigger table sat an intricately built Schach board, its pieces finely carved from light and dark crystals, gleaming in the low light of the room.
Tobias’s eyes drew themselves to the ceiling. It curved into a shallow dome, lit by a ring of lights that shone like the sun itself. Xiphos lifted a panel on the wall, and the lights dimmed, and the dome hummed, reverberating through the room. Very slowly, the dome split open, sliding away to reveal the sky above. The humming stopped, and the room fell silent again. Xiphos wandered into the guest kitchen.
“Not that we have a chef anymore,” she said, her voice low, but still managing to reach Tobias. “Or a mechanic. Or a service staff for guests… or guests.” She stood in the kitchen, hands on her hips, her back to Tobias, and let the silence stand between them.
Foot fall pinged up the steps from the crew quarters, and a girl ducked in through a hatch. She looked a lot like Cait: red panda, with white headfur that reached down to her shoulders, held back by two small clips. Tobias figured she was likely older than him, but younger than Xiphos. She dressed simply, a t-shirt and a pair of pants, clothes comfortable for working. And her walk was confident, like Cait’s, a walk that commanded people get out of her way while she moved. Tobias shrank away when he saw her, feeling his face flush. Xiphos, however, stood up straighter, her tail standing out a little. She took the girl by the hand and pulled her closer. The girl nuzzled Xiphos.
“Who’s this?” She asked.
“Tobias,” Xiphos said, distain dripping from her voice. “He’s a Continental.”
“Neat,” the girl said. “I’m Nina, Cait’s niece. Are you a Traveler? You don’t look old enough to be a Traveler.”
“Cait says he’s with us now,” Xiphos said.
“Oo,” Nina said, returning her gaze to Tobias. “Tre mistera…”
Xiphos narrowed her eyes. She stumbled through a couple awkward syllables, countering Nina’s Merchant with Beiish. Nina rolled her eyes. “Don’t do that. Your Beiish isn’t any good, either. Also, I can’t. Work to do.” She gave Tobias a smile. “Welcome aboard, Tobias.” She started towards another hatch on the other end of the room.
“It’s Toby,” he said, his voice small. He fidgeted with his hands.
Nina stopped, tilting her head. “Yeah? Well, see you ’round, Toby.” She set off out the hatch, her footsteps pinging up to the bridge.
Xiphos stared down at Toby, her eyes narrowed, her tail twitching behind her.
“She’s nice,” Toby offered.
“Don’t even think about her,” Xiphos growled.
Toby drew back, “I wasn’t-!”
Xiphos exhaled sharply out her nose. “Whatever. I’ve got work to do, too.” She ducked out the hatch back to the cargo bay, leaving Toby in the silence of Cait’s guests.
You’re keeping us guessing on who Toby is, aren’t you? And I was amused by Xiphos’ less than eager attitude towards helping him out.
My only complaint about this chapter is the point of view jumps around quite a lot, almost jarringly so. Also… Sorry, but I’m a terrible nitpicker when it comes to spelling & grammar. Hope you don’t mind. :)
“Xiphos knew painting was on board before she did.” –> should be ‘the painting’.
Never mind the grammar checks; I never seem to catch them all, so I appreciate it.
My only complaint about this chapter is the point of view jumps around quite a lot, almost jarringly so.
No, that’s fair. There’s a lot going on, crammed into about 1000 words.
As for Toby, yes, I’ll keep you guessing for a bit more.
“it’s pieces finely carved”
Thanks, mystery commenter!
No problem, that’s the beauty of weblit. FYI, advertising on digitalnovelists.com is good for your readership. I often stay anon in a story until I decide I’m going to stick around for a while — I’ve since switched to the vastly-less-anon nom de commentaire I’m known by on DN and related sites, “V”.
Yeah, I noticed the numbers coming from the ads are really high. Totally worth the money. And I appreciate the comments, proofreading or otherwise.