DOCKSIDE DIPLOMACY
They could already see the blue and red from the police cruisers' lightbars as the ship slowly limped into Nobilis Island's port. A helicopter flew overhead, shining a bright spotlight down onto the ruined bridge and deck. Captain Daniel Greene stood at the front of the bridge as the helmsman brought the ship to a stop; anchor was weighed and the ship was tied to the dock.
"Everyone please be sure to depart in a calm and orderly manner," a deck officer said to the passengers as they made their way down a gangplank to the dock.
Yuka watched as the last of the passengers departed the ship. It was a good thing that no one had gotten hurt during the duels. She glanced over to the three cultists and the old man Ernest, all of whom were still under watch by the bridge officers. These four had a lot to answer for, the cultists for trying to blow up the ship and Ernest for what he did to her.
"You good, Yuka?" Hugo asked.
"I'm fine," Yuka answered. "I just want to get all this over with so we can move on."
"I hear that," Shelly agreed.
It took nearly an hour for all the passengers to depart the ship. A few moments after that, Yuka and her friends watched as five police officers climbed the ramp onto the ship and made their way to the bridge.
"Gentlemen." Captain Greene stepped forward. "I'm Captain Daniel Greene. Welcome aboard the St. Charleston. Or what's left of it, anyway."
"That's going to be the first question," one of the officers said. "What exactly happened?"
"Well, it all started when one of our passengers made a personal attack on another passenger to steal her property," Captain Greene answered.
"Yeah, and I'm the one he tried to rob," Yuka spoke up. "The old man hired two of these three goons here to do his dirty work."
"And you are...?" the officer asked.
"Yuka Rumiko. My friends and I are on our way to Salamandra City."
"So can you and your friends tell us what happened tonight?"
"Sure," Yuka said. "Like I said, we're on our way to Salamandra City from Pistris City. I had just finished eating with my friends Hugo and Shelly here and was on my way to the dueling deck when next thing I know, I'm getting clocked in the back of the head and waking up tied up in a closet."
"We saw what happened on a security video," Hugo added. He pointed to two of the cultists. "These two goons did it."
"Turns out the old man here paid them to steal one of Yuka's Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards," Shelly put in.
The officer turned to Ernest. "Is this true?"
"I'm a collector," Ernest said with a shrug.
"And that's been his only excuse for it," Yuka said, barely trying to conceal the anger in her voice.
"And then the two who attacked her," Bridge Officer Medeiros spoke up. "They were also part of the three who tried to blow up the ship."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"They're part of a group called the Cultrura Mortis," Shelly explained. "Their whole schtik is trying to kill everyone on the planet."
"It's the will of the planet," Theron Shermon said. "Humanity is a blight. Look at everything we've done since the ancient days of Mesopotamia. Deforestation; pollution; how many species of animal have been driven to extinction because of humanity overhunting - for food, for sport, sometimes just leaving the animal's carcass to rot. Do you think that's good for the planet?"
"Oh, and terrorism is?" Hugo shot back. He turned back to the officers. "They planted a bomb in the engine room. If me and Medeiros and the captain hadn't gotten down there in time and if I hadn't dueled the guy with the detonator, he would have set the bomb off and probably killed everyone on this boat."
The five police officers turned to Ernest and the three cultists, their faces registering looks of shock and confusion. The three cultists all stood there, smug grins on their faces, while Ernest remained stoic; he turned away as his face turned to one of shame.
"All right, cuff them."
Yuka, her friends, and the bridge officers watched as the police put their handcuffs on Ernest and the three cultists and began to escort them off the bridge.
"Wait, one moment please," Ernest said as he was escorted to the stairs. He stopped and turned to Yuka. "I just want to say, once again, that I'm sorry for the trouble I put you through."
Yuka narrowed her eyes in fury at Ernest. "An apology isn't enough. I also couldn't help but notice that you forgot to tell the cops you tried to bribe the captain to make him forget this ever happened."
"Oh really?" the officer escorting him said. "We'll be sure to add that to your rap sheet, old man. Move it." He pushed Ernest forward, down the stairs to the deck and off the ship with the other three.
"You know, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of seeing that," Hugo said.
Yuka let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor. "Holy cow. That was...That was actually pretty awful."
"At least no one got hurt," Shelly said as she put a supportive hand on Yuka's shoulder.
"Too bad we can't say the same for my ship," Captain Greene said. "Look, you three, I know you had good intentions and it did end up saving a lot of lives, but you kind of broke the ship. I'm not going to hold it against you kids, but this ship isn't going to be going anywhere for a good while."
"How long is a good while?" Hugo asked.
"Given the damage, I'd estimate six months at a minimum."
"We can't wait that long," Yuka whispered to Hugo and Shelly.
"We'll have to find another way to Salamandra City," Hugo agreed.
"Look, kids, like I said, I won't hold what your duels did to my ship against you," Captain Greene reiterated. "So you three are free to go. I can't help you with getting to the mainland tomorrow, but maybe you'll be able to find another boat. Good luck."
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Now that everything was finished, the three friends had time to take in the sights and sounds of the nighttime harbor. The moon and stars were reflected on the black surface of the bay. The sounds of ships and ropes swaying in the current and the wind filled the air; the wind was also blowing the salty smell of the bay towards the dock.
"You know, now that everything's settled down," Hugo said as the three of them made their way out of the harbor and towards the town, "the sea kind of stinks."
"Worry about the smell later," Shelly said. "We need to find a way to Salamandra City."
"If anything, there might be another ferry," Yuka guessed. "Hopefully without crazed cultists on board."
There were ten piers at this port; each one was occupied with a boat or ship; fishing boats, ferries, sailboats...Some ships were just now coming in, some were getting ready to shove off. Among the ferries, there was the St. Charleston and two others, one of which looked like it had been shut down for the night; the other ferry still had its lights on; perhaps it was still active for the night?
The three hurried down the dock to the ferry. A deck officer was standing on the pier the ferry was docked at, perusing through the clipboard in his hand.
"Excuse me!" Yuka called as they approached. The deck officer lowered his clipboard and looked up to the three of them. "Sorry to bug you, but is this ferry going to Salamandra City?"
The deck officer looked at his clipboard again, flipping through some pages. "Uh...Not tonight, but it will tomorrow morning; looks like it's scheduled to depart around eleven."
"What time is it now?" Shelly asked.
"Almost midnight," Hugo answered. "We'll have to get our tickets last minute."
"Assuming they haven't been sold out," Yuka added. "Come on, guys; let's find a place to stay tonight."
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Morning seemed to come faster than they'd anticipated. Even though they'd set the hotel alarm for seven in the morning, they still felt like they had to rush to get to the dock. The ferry was still waiting at its pier, a line of passengers waiting to board.
"Looks like we made it just in time," Hugo breathed as they approached. They showed their tickets - purchased just earlier this morning - and climbed aboard.
Two hours later, they were back on the water, now on their way to Salamandra City.