Finding Nemo

As the salute to the Admiral began - a myraid of colours sweeping majestically from bow to stern across the Itsereuphool's two-kilometre long iridescence-shell - and answering flashes of dazzle-pattern luminescence lit up the cliff-like aft-lateral slab of the Brine-World habitat Hypolimnion, ship-master Clobrule eased himself from his lair-post on the bridge and made his way towards the water-lock on the Itsereuphool's dorsal-forward outer hull.

As he jetted along the athwart-ship gangway and up to the lock, listening to the radio chatter between his pilot and the dock-master as they made their way into the habitat's interior dock-space, he considered again the reason for their being diverted here by his Eminence; sent on a dogfish-leg in their journey back to Octran space and the demi-millennial celebrations of His Imperial Majesty's Most Majestic Empire, (which promised so much in the way of parties, ceremonial dinners, regimental drinking bouts and, of course, the Grand Tourney) to collect a thoroughbred the Emperor himself was to enter in the tourney races.

Clobrule flashed sulphur-yellow, his chromatophores betraying the pleasure he felt at the forthcoming events where he would, for the first time, be permitted to view the Tourney from the prime lair of the Royal Circle.

Arriving at the water-lock at the same time the Itsereuphool made hard-dock, Clobrule opened the inner door, pulled himself into the lock, released the outer door, and viewed the access tube down which the welcoming party would shortly arrive.

As the water pressure inside the lock equalised with that of the habitat, four figures appeared, hazy and indistinct through the gauzy membrane that allowed osmosis between the ship and habitat environments.

"Ah, Clobrule! Here at last! Gods my life, its been years!"

The membrane peeled back, allowing Clobrule to see clearly the flaccid bulk of Admiral Siltblack, flanked on three sides by a security detail of Octranoughts. All three guards displayed a formal, non-expressive patten of blue and green stripes on their exposed carapace and tentacles, and each of them sported HUDs on all four eyes. The Admiral on the other hand was unencumbered, and displayed his pleasure in a flattering yellow-orange that covered his entire body.

"Siltblack, you old prune, good to see you too!" answered Clobrule, offering his right feeding-tentacle to the Admiral, who clasped it in a tight embrace with his own.

"I believe congratulations are in order; a step closer to the throne, I hear?"

"Ha ha, yes indeed," said Clobrule with a smile and a waft of happy pheromones. "Nine hundred and ninety-ninth in line since brother Grunt imploded."

"Yes, well. Perhaps you can tell me all about it over a snail or two later. You are ready to receive the Emperor's charger, are you not?"

"Yes, Admiral, we are. To tell the truth, I rather thought you might have it with you...?" Clobrule eased himself upwards to see past the Admiral's bulbous mantle, but the corridor beyond was empty.

"Slight problem there, Clobrule. You see, this particular steed is, ...well, not quite broken in yet, if you take my meaning. We had a party try to bring it here earlier, but it escaped and hid itself somewhere in the tool-space two levels down. I thought someone of your experience might be able to find it and persuade it onto your ship. What do you say?"

"With all my hearts!" replied Clobrule, "Leave it with me Admiral, and it will be sorted in no time. However, you may wish to vacate the area for a while..."

"Indeed, indeed. Well, until later!"

Admiral Siltblack slipped back up the dock access tube, followed closely by his guards. Clobrule smiled to himself, then switched to the inter-crew frequency on his commset.

"Parsendue, up front and centre, and bring the ships boy with you."

"Numps, sir? I thought you couldn't stand the sight of the little squib."

"Don't argue with me, Parsendue."

"Yes sir. On our way sir."

"Now," said Clobrule a few moments later, leading the way through the Hypolimnion's labyrinthine passageways to the lower decks, "the trick of finding the beast will be to use just the right pheromone to attract it. That way, it will find us, and half the job is done."

"Oh! oh! Can I try sir, please!"

Clobrule smiled at the exuberant enthusiasm of little Numps, so young his feeding tentacles were hardly longer than his six arms. Numps was bouncing off the walls - literally - his excitement at being brought along playing havoc with his buoyancy.

"Of course, of course!" said Clobrule, at the same time thinking; Oh, the blessed innocence of the young.

Beside him, Parsendue was giving Clobrule a knowing look - a half disgusted, half resigned-to-fate kind of look, accompanied by a tinge of pinkish terror. Hopefully Numps wouldn't notice ... nope; spinning gleefully in their wake.

When they reached the second level tool-space, Clobrule had Numps take point, having him open the pressure check valves on each door they passed and waiting for several moments before moving on to the next. If Numps thought this odd, he didn't show it. Indeed, he seemed in his element, doing everything his ship-master asked, and answering questions that would have caused great alarm to an Octranought a few years older. Or, indeed, to anyone with a sense of self preservation.

"Can you swim fast, Numps?"

"Oh yes sir, awfully quick."

"Good, good. Know your way back to the ship do you?"

"I can taste the ship's water even now sir."

"Excellent. Well, I think this is it."

A banging on the door: Clobrule places a tentacle end on the release switch, and presses it.

The door opens; Numps turns an interesting shade of grey, deposits a goodly cloud of ink, then jets off at a high rate of knots back to the Itsereuphool.

Out of the door shoots the Emperor's new steed - a huge, undulating, untamed Nemo - following the terrified juvenile Octranought's scent with murderous intent.

"Well, there we are," said Clobrule, watching the huge carnivorous flatworm disappear up the passage after Numps. "Job done. Fancy some snails, eh Parsendue?"

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If you enjoyed this short story, you may like to seek out 'Contact Report' on my profile, another short featuring the master and crew of the Itsereuphool. Please vote if you enjoyed it and comment if you wish!