young man with a very pale complexion, shabby clothes and an unhealthy overall appearance. Among the big and strong sailors, the man stood out like a sore thumb. His instincts kicked in and after excusing himself for a moment, he moved along the round bar so he would keep the young man in sight.
The man moved to the far end of the outermost bar where three men were standing. He reached in his pocket and rolled some small stuff on the bar while talking to the men.
Daniel enhanced his vision, using his electronic eye. "Crap," he whispered. He recognised the drugs that were on the bar as TSD and Rood.
TSD, officially known as Trero-Sulphur-Dermoxyn, was better known as Toxic Shit you Die of. It was a chemical drug, meant to relax, but often made people die. The drug was made of a selection of waste products. Rood, he knew, was some alien vegetable drug. It put people to sleep as in a coma, and it was unpredictable when they would come out of it. If at all. And the filth existed even here.
"Daniel." A hand rested on his shoulder.
Stroro had come after Daniel. "Don't mess with them, Daniel. They are bad news, you don't want to get involved with them."
Daniel looked at his sailor friend. "I've dealt with them before. I'm a soldier, Stroro, I have to arrest that man."
"You can't. You are not here as a soldier, remember than. You are a security man for the Society." Stroro shook Daniel by the shoulder, hoping that he could make the man see sense.
"Who's a soldier here?" a loud voice rang out. It was better than a switch. Within seconds there was a silence in the Tub that was scary.
"There is no soldier here," Stroro tried.
"Oh, right," another voice said. "I heard your mate there say he was a soldier. We don't have soldiers in here, right boys?"
There was no more reason to talk. The appearance of the Tub changed considerably in the twenty minutes it took for law enforcement to arrive and clear out the bar.
14. Jailbirds
The line of carriages painted black and yellow was impressive. Daniel had never seen so many of them in one street. The downside of it was that he was stowed in one of them as an official guest of the Skarak police force.
As the caravan started to move, Daniel asked Stroro, who was in the same carriage, why the police had taken so long to get there.
Stroro shrugged. "I think they wait until most of us are somewhat tired of fighting. Makes things easier for them." The snort that he ended with was very meaningful. Sailors who were in a fight did not get tired. They got more energised.
"Nobody charged us with anything," Daniel continued.
"They never do," Stroro displayed his experience. "They stick us in the brig, the boss comes to get us out, we promise not do it anymore and we walk."
"Sounds like that is a contradiction. You did this before, right?"
"Yeah. Different bar." Stroro grinned. "They know they can't stop us. It's a game between them and us."
Daniel was not pleased. He'd been in enough trouble already; this bit of joy would not look good on him. The carriage did not look like something strong enough to hold his Bactine body in for long, but a break-out of a police carriage would probably do him even more damage.
The sailors all seemed quite relaxed under the circumstances. Some of them were already snoring. Stroro was one of them.
The ride ended. The door swung open and outside, to Daniel's surprise, were just two policemen who watched the group of sailors walk into the building. They all seemed to know the way and located the cells on their own. Some were looking around for their buddies, so they'd be in the same cells for the time being.
"Daniel. Over here." Bilk waved at him, holding up Stroro. Lidrin was with him also, so Daniel pushed his way through the stream of sailors. "This is a good one. To the side. And quiet."
Daniel stared as they moved into the cell. He slowly
The man moved to the far end of the outermost bar where three men were standing. He reached in his pocket and rolled some small stuff on the bar while talking to the men.
Daniel enhanced his vision, using his electronic eye. "Crap," he whispered. He recognised the drugs that were on the bar as TSD and Rood.
TSD, officially known as Trero-Sulphur-Dermoxyn, was better known as Toxic Shit you Die of. It was a chemical drug, meant to relax, but often made people die. The drug was made of a selection of waste products. Rood, he knew, was some alien vegetable drug. It put people to sleep as in a coma, and it was unpredictable when they would come out of it. If at all. And the filth existed even here.
"Daniel." A hand rested on his shoulder.
Stroro had come after Daniel. "Don't mess with them, Daniel. They are bad news, you don't want to get involved with them."
Daniel looked at his sailor friend. "I've dealt with them before. I'm a soldier, Stroro, I have to arrest that man."
"You can't. You are not here as a soldier, remember than. You are a security man for the Society." Stroro shook Daniel by the shoulder, hoping that he could make the man see sense.
"Who's a soldier here?" a loud voice rang out. It was better than a switch. Within seconds there was a silence in the Tub that was scary.
"There is no soldier here," Stroro tried.
"Oh, right," another voice said. "I heard your mate there say he was a soldier. We don't have soldiers in here, right boys?"
There was no more reason to talk. The appearance of the Tub changed considerably in the twenty minutes it took for law enforcement to arrive and clear out the bar.
14. Jailbirds
The line of carriages painted black and yellow was impressive. Daniel had never seen so many of them in one street. The downside of it was that he was stowed in one of them as an official guest of the Skarak police force.
As the caravan started to move, Daniel asked Stroro, who was in the same carriage, why the police had taken so long to get there.
Stroro shrugged. "I think they wait until most of us are somewhat tired of fighting. Makes things easier for them." The snort that he ended with was very meaningful. Sailors who were in a fight did not get tired. They got more energised.
"Nobody charged us with anything," Daniel continued.
"They never do," Stroro displayed his experience. "They stick us in the brig, the boss comes to get us out, we promise not do it anymore and we walk."
"Sounds like that is a contradiction. You did this before, right?"
"Yeah. Different bar." Stroro grinned. "They know they can't stop us. It's a game between them and us."
Daniel was not pleased. He'd been in enough trouble already; this bit of joy would not look good on him. The carriage did not look like something strong enough to hold his Bactine body in for long, but a break-out of a police carriage would probably do him even more damage.
The sailors all seemed quite relaxed under the circumstances. Some of them were already snoring. Stroro was one of them.
The ride ended. The door swung open and outside, to Daniel's surprise, were just two policemen who watched the group of sailors walk into the building. They all seemed to know the way and located the cells on their own. Some were looking around for their buddies, so they'd be in the same cells for the time being.
"Daniel. Over here." Bilk waved at him, holding up Stroro. Lidrin was with him also, so Daniel pushed his way through the stream of sailors. "This is a good one. To the side. And quiet."
Daniel stared as they moved into the cell. He slowly
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