The seas, constantly variably rolling, never ending, stretched to the horizon before Craig's eyes. He was tired of seas, nothing but seas. He'd have given certain parts of his anatomy to set foot on dry land and stop rocking. Even in the cities, you felt the ocean beneath you, you knew it was there. Dirt was something dug from the sea bed and put in pots. Craig didn't realize what trees had come to mean to him until recently. Absence made the heart grow fonder.
     "Are you going to let me in on your dream, or are you going to tell me our location?"
     "Oh, sorry." Craig focused on the GPS unit and brought up their current location. "147 degrees 51 minutes 17.3 seconds west, 28 degrees 42 minutes 1.1 seconds south."
     "ETA?"
     "Thirteen hours, thirty seven minutes."
     "So what do you think of the longest haul on the planet?"
     "Same as doing anything else on the planet, outside the arctic."
     "No hurricanes."
     "I've had the sense to steer clear of them."
     "Luck. Neptillo runs on luck, boy. Any sailor knows that."
     "I'd rather trust the weather satellites. They are more consistent."
     Nathan laughed. "I'll make a sailor out of you yet."
     "Good luck."
     Nathan laughed again.
     "And I used to like eating seafood."
     "You never lose your taste for it. You're just looking for variety. Interested in a steak?"
     "You don't pay me enough to be able to afford it."
     "This one is on me."
     "I'd rather you give me a raise so I could afford to treat myself."
     "Spoken like a true sailor, Craig."
     "Dream on." he snorted.
     Nathan cleared his voice and sang.

     "Oh give me the life of a sailor to be,
     In one restless choice, I'm aloft out to sea.
     I bring you the wares for which you have paid,
     And some that you didn't, better less that's said.

     Oh, here on Neptillo, I'm boss of my fate,
     On the wide open ocean, you can chose to be late.
     But don't you come looking, and I shan't tell you twice,
     For enough soil to farm out your spice.


     For the world is an ocean, yes, an ocean is she,
     There isn't a single speck of land you can see.
     So you'd better know how to swim like a fish,
     And if you don't, it will be your first wish.

     For here on Neptillo, we don't put out to sea,
     Cause we're always out there with no ports to be
     Of good solid ground where you lose your sea legs.
     Cause life on Neptillo all moves on its skegs."

     "You're not going to sing the entire song are you?" Craig interrupted.
     "Why, is my singing that bad?"
     "Corroded larynx. You put too much salt air through it."
     Nathan laughed. "Good thing I got a sense of humor and reality. You tell that to some other skippers, and they'd put in a good recommendation for you downside."
     "Better than waves."
     "You think so? I didn't see mention of any downtime on your resume. Better to know what you are talking about before you making claims like that topside. You're likely to start a brawl that you wouldn't walk away from. You'd most likely conclude the argument in the hospital, once they unwired your jaw. Now, I'm not too salty to take what you say with a grain of salt, but there are plenty on these at sea who do not think as I do."
     "Something wrong with speaking my mind on a two man ship?"
     "No, as long as you expect others to express theirs. Problem, though, is the language barrier. Some men don't think that the mouth is the best means of communicating their opinions."
     "The pen is mightier than the sword."
     "Not on the high seas, Craig. Be careful of punctuation."
     "Best let my tongue keep a low profile?"
     "Exactly. Much of the time you spend here, you spend in rather close quarters. Only place to walk is man-made, and it's not all that plentiful. You have to learn not to be a source of irritation. You get beat up enough times and you learn. What you should be looking out for is somebody looking for an excuse to have a discussion. Seen any close fists yet?"
     "No. I'm pretty good at staying out of fights."
     "Okay. If you get out of Ratonna without bruises, I'll take you on your word."
     "What is so bad about Ratonna?"
     "It's a sin port. One of the cities where the law is not so closely enforced. Fights are commonplace, murders are not exactly scarce, and the inhabitants want your money the quickest way they can manage. And woe unto the man that is broke and without friends."
     "Nobody told me this. Maybe I'd better stay on board."
     "Worst thing you can do. You'd have to disarm the auto security system, and they'd sneak your throat for sure. The docks are the focus, where things trade hands most often, and get away is closest. They know when a ship is manned with the sense of a predator. Best thing to do is to buy a bottle, find a girl you can trust, and lock yourself in the hotel room and use room service."
     "Keep from being seen?"
     "No. You're spotted before you set foot on deck. It's just what most veteran sailors do here. Especially here. Women don't last long here if they aren't any good at pleasing men. The best that a bed can offer resides here in Ratonna. You do that, and people think that you know what you are doing, and they leave you alone. If it saves your neck, you may as well enjoy it."
     "How do you find a girl that you can trust?"
     "Look at their credentials. If they are bonded, you can trust them. It will also show when they had their last doctor appointment. Anything over three days is a sure risk. Look for one that was checked this morning, if you can catch her eye. She'll hold up one finger, if that's the case."
     "Two fingers for yesterday?"
     "There you have it. One finger costs more than two, but it's worth the price. And this shore leave is on me, steak included. Order from room service. ETA?"
     "Thirteen hours, thirty three minutes."
     "Thank you, navigator."

     Though Nathan had gone through hours of descriptions of Ratonna, Craig was not ready for what he saw awaiting him dockside. He thought that he had seen some rough crowds before, but now he was not so sure. But he did his best to look at them with an air of disinterest. He did as instructed and looked up and past the docks, like he was checking to see if a certain establishment were still existent. Craig was not so sure this would work.
     But he and Nathan disembarked without being hassled, Nathan giving a brief hello and a wad of bills and a list to the slip tender. Armed guards went aboard the boat and took their posts. Most of the attention turned away from their boat. They had come in on the transfer launch, bringing in the cargo meant only for Ratonna. The rest was safe out a mile from the city under automatic defenses and a warning beacon. Only the unit in the console of the boat, given the right code to activate it, could assure a safe boarding of the ship.
     They headed away from the docks with a deliberate pace. Those eyeing them lost interest. The best time to jump a man in Ratonna was not when he was just leaving the boat with one thing on his mind. Most men resented not being given at least a sample of Ratonna's sweetness and hit harder in return. They walked up the street, and Craig felt a hand in his pocket. He started to react.
     "Take it easy, boy. Just a little tiding to be sure that you aren't broke. And just in case that I meet up with a less than desirable fate, the number of the code is 6776. That's for if you have identified my cold remains. Don't go off and try to run away while I'm still breathing. The slip boss will need proof of my demise before he'll settle with you."
     "What do I do if you die?"
     "The ship is mine, and it's willed to my daughter. She's in Hawthorne where the well-to-do live on Neptillo. Set course for there and hand over to her my death certificate. She can see that you get a new assignment. She has a certain amount of clout from the money I've made."
     "Your wife?"
     "Drowned seventeen years ago, when Celia was three."
     "Long time."
     "Doesn't seem like it, but on to other topics. I don't need the memories at the moment. Speaking of the moment."
     Nathan pulled Craig into a bar. They stopped at the door and let their eyes adjust. A happy call came out. "Nat, you're back in town!"
     "I hear that voice, but I don't see it yet."
     "To your right, you big hunk."
     They worked their way in, veering right. Nathan was hugged by a woman who appeared from the gloom so quickly that Craig could not see her face.There was laughter between Nathan and the woman, familiar and cherished. Then she came around him to look Craig square in the face.
     "Who did you bring with you?" she asked.
     "Craig Stattler, ma'am. Pleased to meet you."
     "A sweet talker. I like that. Jenny Gredoin. Good looking, too."
     "Not nearly as pleasing to the eye as yourself."
     "Oooo, you must be looking for a discount."
     "Every little bit helps." offered Craig, hoping it was the right response.
     Jenny burst into laughter and kissed Craig robustly. "Nat, you brought some competition for a change."
     "I was tired of hearing what a chicken I was. I need a drink. Craig, what are you drinking?"
     "I'll let Jenny pick for me, since she seems to read me so well."
     The three laughed, and Jenny shook her finger in mock warning. "Nat, you are just going to have to wait until I try out the new kid in town to see if he is all talk."
     "Oh, no. The time to see if he is all talk is a few hours from now." Nat and Jenny laughed. "I have my arms on you and they are staying on you for a few hours to come. I didn't make that long haul for the money. You'll get your chance, but not until you see the skipper first."
     "Oooo, aye aye, sir. Maybe I could pick one for him. Keep the vampires off of him so that there is something left to sample. See anything you like Craig?"
     Craig looked about the dim barroom for the first time and noticed an abundance of unescorted women. Many noticed him looking and showed him fingers. Craig scanned the entire room until his eyes came to one girl in particular. She was holding up one finger. When he didn't look away, she smiled back at him and retracted her finger. The others did the same, sensing his choice.
     "Not bad for your first time here, Craig. Probably the best bet for you." Jenny called the girl with a crooked finger."Craig, this is Loretta. Room 42, Lor. I'll have room service deliver."
     "Better holler if you want that steak now."
     "I'll get to it later, skipper."
     "That's what I like," responded Jenny, "a man that knows what his priorities are."
     Loretta led Craig up the stairs in the recess of the back of the bar. They went up three flights and turned to the corridor. Loretta opened a door and pulled him inside while he was looking further down the hall to get his bearings.
     "Hi. This your first time in Ratonna?"
     "Yes. I had been working the eastern hemisphere before I transferred on with Nathan."
     "The other side of the ocean. Any different than here?"
     "Except for the people, not really."
     "I've heard that before. You have anyone special?"
     "No. Not really. I figure that it will come when it comes."
     "Nice attitude. Do you want to get down to business first?"
     "Actually, I'd rather spend a little time just looking at you. You aren't in a hurry, are you?"
     "Not if you aren't."
     "Nice attitude." he returned. She laughed and blushed a bit. "Are you a talker?"
     "Talker? "
     "Yeah. Some men like to talk and some just want business. Do you like to talk before business?"
     "I never found it to hurt in most cases. I'm in no hurry. I'm happy just to look at you."
     "Want to see more of me?"
     "Your face is pleasant enough for starters."
     "Is that why you picked me?"
     "It's why I gave a longer first look, but there were other reasons."
     "Ahhh. I see where you're coming from. Okay. I like it, too. Been awhile since I got the request. You don't seem like most men that come in here. Most are in a hurry and don't have educated backgrounds. You are looking for culture and grace."
     "I think that you could say that. I always enjoyed it better that way. Keeps it from being the same old thing."
     "I like the way you say that. A girl needs to watch herself around a man like you. You are the kind that make women forget what they need to remember. Where are you from originally?"
     "Born on Marchet."
     "College? "
     "A couple of years. Structural design."
     "It shows. Have many girlfriends there?"
     "A few. I learned what I wanted and what I didn't want."
     "Am I what you want?"
     "Here and now, I could think of nothing finer than you."
     "But not in other places?"
     "You are not in other places, but were you, I see no reason why it would be different."
     "Even in Hawthorne?"
     "I've never been to Hawthorne. I'm not that rich, nor would I care to be that rich. I would say that you would be even more welcome to me in Hawthorne than you are here."
     "Oooo, you wicked man. Don't turn my head like that. You'll spoil me something terrible."
     "A dear vision of beauty such as yourself deserves to be spoiled most terribly. It would be a shame to do otherwise."
     "You have no shame."
     "Actually, I keep it well hidden."
     "Mind if I shed some of this fabric? You sure know how to get a girl all steamy."
     "Don't let me stop you."
     She removed more than half her garments, then looked at him intensely. "Thank you, Craig, for picking me. It's not every man that knows how to make a girl feel like a woman."
     "My pleasure, my lovely Loretta. Purely my pleasure."
     Loretta was indeed an eye-opener for Craig. She was like no other woman he had ever had in bed. She was soft, deft, responsive beyond his dreams, and very beautiful. The only thing that bothered him was that such a beautiful woman was trapped into such a sorrowful role in life. He could see the scars that lay beneath her pristine and sensual flesh.

     The steak arrived, delivered by Jenny. Loretta retired from the room. Craig was quick to inquire. "Have you known Nathan long?"
     "Fourteen years. We met when he saved my young fool neck. I was stupid enough to steal before I met him. He got me out of a fatal beating, or what would have been had he not intervened."
     "So he is an old friend to you."
     "How could a man like Nat not impress a young and foolish girl? It took me six years to get him in bed with me. Yes, he's something special to me. Why, does that make you nervous about me? Let me assure you that I wouldn't be here if it mattered to him."
     "Just don't want to step on his toes."
     "I understand, but you're not. So what did you think of Loretta?"
     "I'd like to see more of her while I'm here."
     "That good, huh? She is my best, and in pretty big demand."
     "I could tell."
     "But since you shipped in with Nat, she's yours for as long as you stay here in the Golden Fib."
     "I appreciate that."
     "You want something extra to appreciate, like a discount rate? All you have to do is show me why she left here with a smile on her face."
     "I'll give it a try, but I can't promise."
     "She wear you out?"
     "No. But the smile came from other than the physical."
     "Oh? Did you turn on that sweet tongue of yours?"
     "A tad."
     "A tad, my knuckles. You can't fool me. I know a silver tongue devil when I hear one. And you are probably going to say that I am too much Nat's girl to pour it on thick."
     Craig shrugged. "What can I say? You read me like a book."
     "Not yet, I haven't. Besides, I don't nose-dive for sweet talk like a young girl anymore. I'm more carnally oriented than I used to be."
     "No fooling?" asked Craig with a mouthful of steak and a grin.
     "Oh, you have style. May it stay with you through the years. This planet is shy of true style. The ocean seems to drink what honest romance that exists in men's hearts. Don't ever let go, Craig. It's too precious."
     He placed a bite of steak in Jenny's mouth, sensing that she was about to start crying if she kept talking. Jenny realized the intent and smiled at him with misting eyes.
     "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you are not a real man. You are about as real as they come."
     "It's just the way that I like things. What can I say?"
     "Don't say anything. Eat. The quicker you finish, the quicker I can get past these feelings that I'm knowing."

     Loretta replaced Jenny. Craig was too depleted by Jenny to want more than to hold Loretta undressed under the covers. Loretta seemed unwilling to loosen him from her embrace. They lay there for hours, talking, hugging, kissing, enjoying each other's presence and touch. She got him roused one more time before they both fell asleep, their limbs still entwined.

     Craig woke to a shake on his arm. He turned and saw that it was Jenny shaking his arm, tears flowing from her eyes.
     "What is wrong?"
     "Nathan is dead."
     "What?"
     "He was killed last night, about three hours ago. Seems that there was a business squabble between two of his customers that wanted the same goods. He got caught in the cross-fire. He died instantly, bullet in the head. You'll have to come handle the details with the police, being the only one shipping with him. I arranged an escort for you."
     "Okay. Let me get dressed and I'll be right down. I'm sorry, Jenny."
     "I know. I would never expect otherwise." She left the room, holding back the tears. Loretta stroked his hair.
     "I have to go handle business."
     "I heard."
     "I'll be back."
     "No. You won't be in the mood for me. Best that you don't."
     "I'll be back."
     "Craig, I'm a hooker. Don't forget that."
     "You are a woman, first and foremost. Don't forget that." He kissed her, then rose and dressed. He headed down the stairs and found four massive men waiting for him. Jenny sent the five out the door, giving the guards instructions to take him to the police station and return him there.
     Craig noticed little of the city as he walked, his mind on details. Thus he arrived at the station before he knew that he was there. He was ushered into an office and interrogated and given forms to fill out. He wasn't able to supply all the answers, but he did the best that he could. The process took over an hour. The guards remained with him or just outside the door. They returned him to the Golden Fib with the formal documents of Nathan's death in his possession.
     Jenny was there waiting with a drink ready for him. He poured it down. "Well, I guess there is no reason for me to stay in Ratonna further. What do I owe you on the bill?"
     "I have a deal for you. I need some valuable cargo shipped out of Ratonna for me. Not very big. Do that and you owe me nothing."
     "I'll ship it for you for free."
     "And the services are on the house."
     "Jenny, I can't let you do that."
     "What's to stop me?"
     "Stubborn, huh?"
     "Stubborn? Craig, you haven't seen me stubborn. Not by a long shot. It's been my pleasure. I can not accept money for my pleasure. Keep what you have. You'll need it. Here is the settlement from the cargo. I assume that you have salary coming out of this. The rest is for Nat's daughter. Now you'd best be gone from Ratonna before the skirmish that ended Nat's life finds its way to you."
     "I'd like to see Loretta one more time."
     "She is busy at the moment."
     "Oh. Well, tell her good-bye for me."
     "Haven't you ruined her enough already?"
     "Sorry."
     "For what? I wish that all my girls could be ruined so thoroughly." She smiled and patted him on the back. "I'm sure that you'll get to see her again in the future. Time for you to go. Don't be a stranger."
     "Next time I'm in Ratonna, you have a date."
     "I'll hold you to that."
     "Good."
     Jenny hugged Craig and got him moving from his chair. She instructed the guards to see him safely to the boat. He left with a kiss and a wave to Jenny, then went solemnly down to the dock along the same route that he had taken in going to the Golden Fib.
     Craig talked to the slip boss, showing him Nathan's death certificate. The boat was released to Craig's custody, but he was not allowed to depart until Jenny's cargo arrived. He was there ten minutes when Loretta arrived with two other guards. She walked out the plank, asked permission to board, and waited for a reply.
     "I thought Jenny said that you were busy."
     "I was, packing."
     "Packing?"
     "Yes, Craig. I'm the cargo that Jenny mentioned."
     "You?"
     "Do you find objection to that?"
     "No, not at all. I just thought. . . ."
     "Then you thought wrong. Permission to come aboard?"
     "Permission granted, happily."
     She stepped into the boat, then accepted her baggage from the two guards. The slip boss gave Craig permission to shove off. He started the motor and backed out of the slip.
     "I don't understand. Why did Jenny set you free?"
     "Because you ruined me. She saw that in me this morning when she woke us up. She asked me if I wanted to leave Ratonna with you first thing after you left the Fib. I told her that I was obligated to her. She said that I didn't answer her question, and that she wanted an honest and exact answer. I reluctantly told her yes. She told me to start packing. I asked her why, and she said that if I stayed around, every time that she looked at me, knowing what you made me feel for you, that she'd be reminded of you, and consequently of Nathan.
     "She said that she couldn't stand that. She didn't say it, but I think that she sees something of Nathan in you, and she sees something of me in her, and she wanted to make sure that the same mistake that happened between her and Nathan didn't happen between us. She can be very sentimental at times. Does this bother you?"
     "No. You are welcome to sail with me. I look forward to the company on this voyage. I'm not sure that I could take it alone, and maybe Jenny saw that as well. I wouldn't put it past her."
     "Nor I."
     "And I'm glad that it's you. Most anyone could have been company, but none would be like the company that we share." Craig cleared the no-wake markers and set the boat up on plane. He set the course for the ship, holding Loretta in his arm.

     The voyage to Hawthorne was a long one. It was hard for Craig to get Nathan out of his mind on Nathan's ship. The times that they had shared came back to him on every part of the ship, everywhere he turned. Loretta distracted him enough that he was not totally immersed in the sorrow, needing to think of her. Jenny had known her value. Craig promised to himself to make up to her the loss of her number one girl.
     Arriving in Hawthorne was totally different from landing in Ratonna. Everything was by the books. It was fortunate that he bore no cargo except luggage ashore from the ship. What took the most time was the logging of Nathan's death in regard to ship ownership. Once that was settled, with directions in hand, they headed to the residence of Nathan's daughter.
     A knock on the door produced an attractive young woman. "Yes, may I help you?"
     Craig could see the family resemblance in her face. "Celia Biglow?"
     "Yes."
     "I am Craig Stattler. I was navigator with your father."
     "Oh, yes. He mentioned you. I have been told. Won't you come in?"
     "I'm sorry. Your father was something special to me. Best skipper I've had while here on Neptillo. He was almost like a father to me."
     "That was Dad. You weren't the first."
     "As I have surmised. Allow me to introduce Loretta Fisher. She accompanied me from Ratonna so that I would not have to make the journey alone. I'm not sure that I could have endured the voyage without her help."
     "Haunting trip?"
     "Yes. I saw your father everywhere I turned, the things we had done together, the things I had learned from him. It was not my easiest crossing between cities."
     "I understand. It must have been difficult. It's still so hard to believe. Did he die from gunshots like I was told?"
     "I was not present, but I did see his body afterwards. One wound to the head. I was told that he died instantly and felt no pain."
     "The way he wanted to go. No pain. The funeral?"
     "That was handled by Jenny Gredoin. She is......"
     "Jenny and I are old friends. You needn't explain. Dad was Dad, and I accept that. Above all else, he was a good man, and he was good to Jenny. I see no reason for shame. Loretta, did you work for Jenny?"
     "Yes."
     "You are most welcome here. What you have done in the past makes no difference inside my doors."
     "Thank you."
     "Do you know how he was buried?"
     "Arrangements were for burial at sea."
     "As he wished. Looks like he got his way. I hope that you do not take any of the blame for this. I warned him a few times, but he was a believer in fate and luck, and he took what was doled out to him by both."
     "Yes, that was his philosophy."
     "What are your plans?"
     "I don't really know. Your dad said something about you being able to find me an assignment on some ship. I won't hold you to that."
     "I have an assignment for you right now, if you like."
     "Oh?"
     "Same ship that you brought in. Dad's. I've been on it, but he never let me look into all the corners. I want to skipper it."
     "You?"
     "Hey, just because I lived here in Hawthorne according to Dad's wishes doesn't mean that I'm not his daughter. I need somebody that knows the ropes from top to bottom. Do you think you can handle the memories?"
     "I made it this far."
     "Think you can handle me?"
     "You can always drop me off at some port if I can't."
     "You volunteering?"
     "I guess I am. Could Loretta be part of the crew? If she likes?"
     "Loretta, would I be too much competition?"
     "Not like I'm not used to competition. I could share his time and attention. Not all of it, but some."
     "Do you love Craig?"
     "Meaning could I walk away from him? I think that I could. I might not want to, but I could. I haven't crumbled that much yet."
     "What is he like?"
     "Too sweet for this world. But he manages well enough. He's not a lamb. Too much spark. But he has a bit to learn yet."
     "Anything we can't handle between us?"
     "No. The raw material is there. So is the spirit. See, he doesn't even sweat when we talk about him like this."
     "That's what you think!" answered Craig. The three laughed.
     "Good. Now I can get the deliveries to their destinations as I promised Dad. Then we can decide what the new Biglow Line will transport. How much trouble do you think it would be to add passenger space?"
     "A lot of trouble. Capital T."
     "Okay. Scratch that idea. But we have plenty of time to discuss this. Where are you staying?"
     "Nowhere yet. We came straight here from landing procedures."
     "Then park your things in the bedroom, and we'll see how three of us get along. Whatever arrangements make you cozy. Don't be embarrassed. Not if you really knew my dad."
     "You have your dad's spirit, Celia. I just hope that I can handle it in female form."
     "Chicken?"
     "Don't make me cluck."
     "Don't worry."
     "Are you. . . ."
     "Attached? Not at the moment. In fact, the ship couldn't have come at a more opportune time. I don't mean to sound callous, but things have gotten a bit out of control here as of late, and I could use the exit. It's time for me to sell the house and kiss this city good-bye. The one thing I really hold against my dad, that he had to die before I could skip this dump of human refuse. Why he felt I had to live here while he had all the fun. That wasn't fair of him."
     "Maybe he felt a little guilty, not giving you a mother and having to be away. I saw things that your father felt about you that might surprise you. He talked to me about you a lot. He never said it per se, but I think he had ideas about you and me, like he was sizing me up as a son-in-law. Not that I, having not yet met you, only knowing what your father told me, was exactly crazy about the prospect."
     "And what do you think now?"
     "I'll let it have a bit more time before I venture an opinion. I'm not fast with bosses in showing all my cards. Voyages are long, and I feel that it's a mistake to get to know a captain too quickly. I have found that a slow leak of information is better in the long run."
     "Not just with bosses. I'll be up front with you. I like you. You had a head start just sailing with Dad, no sloppy judge of character. So you have that going for you. You obviously are capable of stealing girls' hearts, just like Dad. In fact, you sort of remind me of him when I was a youngster. And if you say that Dad had you pegged for me, well, I kind of trust his instinct. I can't remember him ever being wrong about people. Yeah, I know, a first time for everything, and this would fit his sense of timing as a joke. I wouldn't put it past him. I like what I see so far.
     "You have a sense of humor, you have a sentimental side to you, you don't grab at first meeting, and you don't remind me of the ocean. That ocean colors everything we do here, and after a number of years, it gets into everything that you do. You become like the fish in the ocean, the small feeding the bigger on up the scale. You are not that yet, and I find it refreshing. There's a sense of diplomacy to you that seems to be missing from most marine life and human life on this planet."
     "It's not the friendliest of worlds."
     "Were there trees where you grew up?"
     "Oh, yes. Many, especially where I lived."
     "I had a dream about trees. I've never seen one. You'll have to tell me about them sometime. I'd like to see how real the dream was. I dreamed that I climbed it. Did you ever climb one?"
     "I lived in them when I was a kid. My mom had fits keeping my feet on the ground. She was so worried that I'd break my neck."
     "Hard to imagine." commented Loretta.
     "I loved it. Up in the green, trying to find a comfortable place to sit. After you found one, it became a rest point and the bark would wear down smooth from use. But there are plenty of places where you can look down here."
     "But they aren't alive. Not like trees."
     "Yeah, I know."
     "Do you miss them?"
     "Very much. I miss solid ground, where you can not feel waves or hear a clank when you stomp your foot. I miss ground more than anything."
     "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you homesick."
     "Oh, it's okay, Celia. I'm starting to get used to the idea of nothing but water."
     "There is a place that doesn't break the surface, but it's wadable in places. Sandy bottom, a sunken atoll, build on reefs. Pays to wear heavy boots. I've walked there. We can visit it if you like. I rather enjoyed it myself, when Dad took me. I need to stop reminding you of him. You've been through enough."
     "I don't mind. I'm finding out that you're not entirely what your father described."
     "Oh?"
     "For the better. Fathers have a blind spot with their daughters. Whether it's oversight or deliberate cover-up, they still never accurately describe their daughters. I personally think it's jealousy."
     "It's more than that."
     "The lion's share, at least."
     "I think that things are about to get interesting in my life again." Celia kissed him on the cheek. "Welcome aboard. Now how about a drink? I know it's a bit late for such things, seeing how he's buried at sea already, but this is the first time that I've had the ingredients for a wake. Care to get drunk with me and say farewell?"
     "Loretta?"
     "You two go ahead without me. I haven't yet quite gotten used to sailing. Now that I have my feet back on full deck, I hope to catch up on some missed sleep. But you two both look like it's something that needs out. Don't let me stand in the way. Do what you have to do. It's that simple to me. I don't have to be included in everything, do I?"
     "No. I'm sure that you and I will get together and talk about him. I just don't want you to feel rejected, because that isn't the case."
     "I see that. But your need of Craig is more immediate than what you need of me. That can come later when your more immediate needs are met."
     "Thanks, Loretta."
     "I am grateful that I was given passage from Ratonna on your ship. I owe you."
     "What goes around, comes around."
     "True, most of the time."
     "Most of the time, yes."
     Loretta left the room with her suitcases. She set up in a small bedroom with a single bed, signaling that she was serious about sleep for the time being. Celia opened the bar remotely and said, "Name your poison."
     "Well, I don't see my favorite Morpella from back home, so make it Nathan's favorite, Bull Kick."
     "How appropriate. Never did like it that much myself."
     "Understatement." He shivered, and they both laughed.
     "Okay, Daddy, one last time for you." She poured, and they got roaring drunk and silly and stupid and very sentimental. They both passed out before they finished the bottle. Just before they lost conciousness, what was left was considered Nathan's share and sent overboard out the opened seaside window to join him.

     They woke with roaring hangovers, and Loretta nursed them back to health, having some expertise in their delicate conditions. But the purge was successful. They were both now capable of coping with Nathan's death.
     Celia made a call to her lawyer and had him speed through the processing of the papers to settle her father's estate. They stayed in for a couple of days talking and getting to know each other better.
     There was no more heavy drinking. Celia paid Craig the salary due him, plus a bonus for safe delivery of the ship on his own, plus a generous sign on bonus for continuing with the ship. He protested that it wasn't necessary, but she disagreed. She said that she wasn't going to have him slip between her fingers until she knew the ship as well as her father did.
     After a couple days of laziness and recuperation, they went out and started teaching Celia the ropes of Biglow 1. Nathan had a vision of a series of ships until Celia's mother died. After that, the one ship was all that mattered to him, and there never was a Biglow 2.
     The first thing that Celia wanted to see were the secret passages and cubby holes where things could be hidden. She went on looking through them until she found the safe. Craig told her that he would have taken her there right away if she had asked. She tried the combination, which was her mother's name, and that failed to open it. Craig punched in JENNY LUCK on intuition and the safe opened.
     "You've opened this before?"
     "No. First time I've ever seen the safe open."
     "Then how did you know the combination?"
     "A lucky guess. The two things that meant the most to him. When you punched in your mother's name, I got the idea, updating."
     She pulled out a strong box and opened it with a key she had. Inside was a nest of diamonds that surprised Craig. Celia wasn't surprised at their existence, but there were more than she had expected by several times. "This is the type of bank that Dad trusted."
     "You could buy a fleet with that."
     "Thanks to your honesty. You could have cheated me blind, and I never would have known the difference. I owe you for that. A percentage of this is yours. Name your cut."
     "I don't want what is yours."
     "Twenty percent, then."
     "But. . . ."
     "Twenty five percent. Open your mouth again, and it's thirty."
     Craig sat there silently.
     "Okay, a quarter share partner. You get a quarter of all profit as long as you sail with me." She took out the scales and began to divide the diamonds by color and purity, then by weight. After a final tally, she cut out a fourth of the gems by value and handed them to Craig.
     "Put them in with yours."
     "Mutual trust. I like that. Very well." She handed Craig a sheet of paper that showed his share in currency equivalent. He nearly choked. "You could return with your money to your trees and have plenty left over."
     "I made you a promise to stay with the ship until you saw fit to release me. I do not go back on my word."
     "I'm not sure that this world is ready for likes of you."
     They continued the tour and made their bunks on board. Celia and Loretta began to spend a lot of time together, leaving Craig with nothing to do for much of the day except check the ship over and perform maintenance duties. He didn't mind too much, but the two started giggling when he'd show up. He'd swallow his pride and ignore the feelings that the giggles gave him. He knew it was a good sign that they were friendly and not at each other's throats. Since their arrival at Hawthorne, neither had spent time in bed with him. Not that it bothered him, with everything else on his mind. But the giggles made it hard for him to not think about the three of them and how things would work out. But he tried to take them as well as he could.

     The financial papers finally made it through processing, and the ship was now legally Celia 's. They took the boat in to load on the items from Hawthorne that Celia didn't plan on selling with the house. Most of the furniture stayed, though a few favorite and sentimental items were brought aboard and set up where Celia thought they would do the most good. She visited the real estate office and her lawyer and got everything squared away for the necessary transactions. They went out to the ship and lifted anchor. They set course for the nearest city for where they held destined cargo. Craig skippered and Celia acted as navigator, though he protested that the reverse should have been the case. Celia kept it as it was.
     Loretta was also taught the running of the ship with Celia, and Craig transferred his knowledge of Nathan's system to both of them as well as he knew it. Celia would sometime add insights of her own that he lacked. Most of the ship's systems were automated and run by a central processing unit. There were more than the required backups, since Nathan wanted all the edge on luck he could get. There were spares for everything that didn't need a shipyard to repair.
     The two women listened closely to him during lessons and spent time together away from him when they had their time off. Craig said nothing. He made the deliveries with Celia when they would reach a port while Loretta stayed on board. They had made three calls before Celia killed the motor on the boat as they were leaving the portside dock and looked at Craig.
     "You have been a good teacher. I have learned a great deal. But I have a complaint that I want to lodge in private. You have been a lousy lover. When are you going to get around to start chasing us?"
     "Whenever I get a clear signal that is what the two of you want."
     "We've been sending you signals everyday."
     "Not clear ones."
     "What do you consider clear?"
     "Other than laughing at me? Is that what you consider clear?"
     "I asked you first."
     "A kiss, a hug, a pass, tying me up and hauling me to bed. Any of those will do. I've been waiting for the two of you to come to terms."
     "I forgot with whom I was dealing. Craig, you're not a sailor."
     "So your father used to tell me."
     She started up the motor, and they returned to the ship. That evening saw Craig kidnaped by his two shipmates. It was an experience Craig wasn't likely to forget. After that, the two women took turns with sharing his cabin at night. The days passed on and the cargo was unloaded and no new cargo was taken on board. Near the end of the run, they set anchor off the Sand Flats. Craig got to stand on solid ground, even if he was usually past his knees in water when he did so.
     There were games of chase and dunking and other wild frivolity, then suddenly Craig stopped. When he failed to respond to being splashed in the face with water, the two women stopped playing and studied him.
     "Did we break him?" asked Celia.
     "I don't know. Looks okay on the outside."
     "I just had an idea. I don't know how feasible it is." he said.
     "What?"
     "Build here. Set up a recreational facility here, set into place in the ground. Dredge sand and build up the place into a beach. Make a resort here that is set on solid ground. It would be sure to draw customers. A hotel, a casino, stuff like that."
     "A vacation, entertainment compound?"
     "Exactly. There is enough in the safe to build and maintain a secure compound. I know how to design and build it. Celia, you could run the finances, and Loretta could run the entertainment. Between the three of us, we could run a first rate operation. We could easily triple our assets in ten years of normal operation. We could get rich and be our own bosses and enjoy it the entire time. We could make our own mark on Neptillo. Live the rest of our lives in class. People would come to us, not the other way around."
     "Is this idea aimed at rich clientele?"
     "Not exclusively. I wasn't thinking of making it cheap enough for the unwanted of Ratonna to find it cozy here. Not that many of our employees wouldn't come from there. I think that someone like Jenny wouldn't mind resettling her establishment here. But I was thinking a bit lower as for economic brackets. Mid-ground. Not so high that it was snobbish, and not so low that it drew a crowd that scared away others. It wouldn't be a Hawthorne or a Ratonna. We'd run the place with a tight fist as far as upsetting factors, but bend over backwards to please the average Neptillian. We'd make our money on repeat business, like annual vacations. The only true port of Neptillo where people could rub their toes in dry sand on solid ground. We wouldn't be dirt cheap, but we wouldn't be outrageously expensive either."
     "I like the idea. How would you suggest the financial arrangement?"
     "You'd be the owner. We'd work on salary."
     "You're not going to invest your share of the gems in this?"
     "Sure I would."
     "Then you'd be part owner, and so would Loretta. It's that way or no way."
     "But that isn't fair to you."
     "You let me decide what is fair to me. I'd also like to make Jenny a partner. Any objections?" Neither showed protest.
     "Good. Equal partners. Do you want to consider it a deal?"
     "So soon?"
     "Sure. I trust the two of you. I'd be stupid to be out here alone with the two of you if I didn't. I'll talk to an architect I know in Vibra, our next delivery stop. If he sees this as feasible, we'll get the gears rolling on construction. No sense in wasting time. We'll cut shipping costs by ferrying supplies in the Biglow 1 here. How about a cruise ship to go along with the resort? City runs for passengers to and from the resort. A mini- resort to whet their appetite. A nice way to screen customers before they arrive. Convenient for those that don't own sea worthy vessels. Also a good source of income. It would pay for itself in a few years."
     "Sounds good to me." he replied.
     "Then let's get underweigh. Time is wasting."
     They ganged up on Craig and dunked him one last time before returning to the ship.

     "Hello, my dear. How are you doing this evening?"
     "Just fine, Craig. How are those two treating you recently?"
     "As well as can be expected from finance and entertainment hounds."
     "Not enough attention, huh?"
     "Oh, you know me, Jenny. I can get by without much attention."
     "Can is one thing, should is another. They are taking you too much for granted recently."
     "Just means a few added years to my life span."
     Jenny laughed. "Things are sure different from when we first met."
     "There was no Nathan Coast when we first met."
     "I want to thank you for getting me in on this."
     "Not my suggestion. It was Celia' s. Not that I wouldn't have insisted if she hadn't beaten me to the punch, but your thanks go to her."
     "Not what I heard, and you are so much more fun to thank. I don't deserve this."
     "Heck, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say. When I left Ratonna with Loretta, I avowed to see you rewarded for your thoughtful generosity. I never would have made it without her there with me on that trip, and you knew it. And you gave up your number one girl. That was quite a sacrifice, no matter how fancily you try to talk your way around it. It seems only fitting to me that you are a part of the operation, seeing what you meant to Nathan. Couldn't have his best girl left out of the operation of the monument dedicated to him."
     "You know what I mean."
     "Yes, I do, and I say 'Fish food!' You know that you belong here as much as I do, if not more. You did more for Nathan than I did."
     "Don't be too sure of that. You were very important to him."
     "Like you were a mere distraction? But enough of this. This is where you belong, and I won't hear otherwise. You pull more than your weight."
     "Always the sweet talker, even when you get rough. Thanks for wanting me. Not everyday that a madam gets to step up in life to something like this. If those two don't treat you right, you come to me, and I'll make them so jealous that they can't stand it."
     "Don't tempt me."
     Jenny smiled at him. "Nat picked right when he picked you. He was a good judge of character. Only thing he missed was how distracting you are. Now are you going so I can get some work done, or are you going to stay here and bring my business to a halt?"
     "If you don't want me here, I'll go." Craig acted wounded and stuffy. Jenny laughed and hugged and kissed his cheek. "I want you here all the time. You should know that by now. It's just that duty calls. There will be a lot of angry customers if I don't finish these assignment sheets."
     "And the customer is always."
     "Always right?"
     "Seldom, but they are always."
     She chuckled. "How very true. Go on. Let me work before this turns to chaos."
     Craig patted her and left her office and the office area. He wound his way through the hotel to the casino. He spotted Celia in the private cubicle, still involved in the private poker game. Her stack of chips was larger than the last time he looked. He wondered if she would ever lose a session. So far, she had shown a tidy profit each evening she found rich suckers to play. She enjoyed winning from the rich, having spent so much time with them in Hawthorne. It was her means of revenge after years of being the proper daughter of a ship owner.
     Loretta eased up beside him. "I just got a call from Jenny telling me that I better treat you better or that she was going to steal you away from us. Any truth to the warning?"
     "Who knows? Jenny is a mighty attractive lady."
     "As if we don't pamper you enough as it is. And to think that I used to think that you spoiled me. Hah!"
     Craig grinned. "I still do spoil you, if you haven't noticed. And if you haven't, then maybe I will take Jenny up on her offer."
     "You had better be joking."
     "I had?"
     "Oh, you."
     "Now, now. Don't go preaching to me about swollen heads. I've noticed you going to a larger hat size yourself."
     "Quite a foursome, aren't we?"
     "I'll buy that."
     "What's your offer?"
     "Got a couple of free hours?" he inquired.
     "No, but I could juggle my appointments to find it."
     "Get juggling. I'll be in my room. Don't make me wait too long."
     "Yes, master."
     "Oooo, I like the name."
     She slapped him on the rear. "I'll show you master."
     "Is that a promise?"
     "No, it's a threat." She kissed him and left.
     One of the security guards approached Craig. "We've had a bit of trouble in the hotel, sir. One group of guests refuses to depart."
     "Any particular problem?"
     "They claim to be relatives of Miss Biglow."
     "Her cousins?"
     "Precisely."
     "I knew that this would happen. Thank you, Henry. I'll handle this personally. Would you take this note I'm about to write to Miss Biglow? I wouldn't wish to do anything behind her back. She is down there in her usual cubicle."
     "As you desire."
     He wrote the note and sighed. He knew that life would be full of small problems such as this when he first envisioned the complex that now was his domain. But it was better than dealing with the different cities on their home turf. Here, he was authority. He liked that, despite the small problems that came his way. He handed the note to the guard and turned to go the hotel, ready to tell Celia's cousins that being related to the man to whom the complex was dedicated did not give them carte blanche to misbehave outside the standards that the complex demanded of its guests. He thought of how Nathan would have handled the situation. With a smile, he mentally began sharpening his teeth.