Rhys waited for a few moments after Zaxx’s warning of someone approaching before speaking up. ‘There’s likely someone coming to the hatch now we’ve landed. I’m going to go down and wait for them.’

‘I’ll come with you, Captain,’ Tom said sharply, heading to the stairs at a quick pace.

Rhys shared a slightly confused look with Oliver at Tom’s reaction. It was rare for Tom to be quite so brusque. Shrugging, Rhys followed the big man down the stairs to the main corridor and to the right, where the outer hatch lay.

‘Are you okay, Tom?’ Rhys asked, putting a hand out to stop the other man before they reached their destination.

‘Yes, Captain,’ Tom said, but the frown on his face belied his words as he reached over to grip his left forearm.

‘If something is going on, I need to know about it,’ Rhys said, fixing Tom with a stern look. Tom was acting strangely, and it was a little concerning. Tom was usually so easygoing and reliable.

‘Yes, Captain,’ Tom said woodenly, his eyes on the hatch and away from Rhys. ‘If it becomes relevant, I will let you know.’

‘Alright, make sure you do,’ Rhys said, not happy but not wanting to push things too far. Tom nodded but said nothing more.

Rhys sighed and turned back to the hatch, right as he heard someone knock on it and a muffled greeting be shouted from outside. Glancing at Tom one last time, Rhys put it aside for the moment and opened the hatch.

Two bearded men with close-cut hair were waiting outside, both wearing an odd uniform that Rhys didn’t recognise. They had a thick outer coat, but the left sleeve ended at the elbow, leaving their tattooed forearm visible. Each man also had a quartz ring through their left ear.

‘Fair skies, may we speak with your Captain?’ The man on the right said, his melodic voice carrying an accent that Rhys didn’t recognise.

‘I’m the Captain,’ Rhys said, stepping forward slightly and looking the man square in the eye.

‘A pleasure, Captain,’ the man replied, his gaze flicking to Rhys’s left hand and arm for a brief moment before coming back to his face. ‘May I ask why you’ve come to this forest?’

‘We’re here to deliver a food and supplies shipment on behalf of Kraus and Sons,’ Rhys said, noting how the two men relaxed at his words.

‘We’ve been waiting for the shipment. The Captain will be happy it’s here. Would you like to come with us to him?’

‘Who is Captain here?’ Tom said, cutting in before Rhys could respond.

‘Aeolus Demeteras captains the Daedalus,’ the man replied, his eyes narrowing at Tom’s rude interruption.

‘We can trust them, Captain. The Demeteras clan is large but well-respected and known for its fair dealings,’ Tom said, ignoring the irritated looks from the two crewmen.

‘Very well,’ Rhys said, giving Tom a meaningful look as he motioned for their greeters to lead the way. He’d speak with Tom about this later, he had a feeling that there was some history here, but for now, he’d take advantage of that history. ‘Please come with me, Tom. Your expertise will be invaluable here.’

‘Yes, Captain,’ Tom said, somewhat reluctantly, a small sigh escaping him.

‘Very well, please follow us,’ the spokesman for the two crew said, motioning for his companion to lead the way as they climbed down the cradle.

Following behind them, Rhys took the opportunity to look over the operation at a ground level, noting a group of a dozen people heading to one of the smaller ships, all carrying empty sacks and bringing an unladen cart with them.

They passed by the group on their way to the cradle around the Daedalus, allowing Rhys to see that the cart held several axes and sickles. It looked to be a harvesting group being sent out to one of the other spires. Given their tools, Rhys wondered what the primary resource was that they were harvesting here. This operation seemed a little excessive for gathering ironwood, especially when places like Arn Creth had large groves on hand.

‘This way, the Captain will be in his ready room,’ one of the crewmen said, leading them up a sloped ramp and into the scaffolding of the cradle. The cradle was made out of ironwood, a mix of both lumber and processed planks. Interestingly, parts of the cradle were older and more worn than others, making Rhys wonder if this was a regular occurrence for the ship and if they carried parts with them.

They saw several other people as they made their way up the cradle, all of whom were dressed the same, with their forearms exposed and earrings on display. Tom seemed to know a lot about these people, enough to recognise a specific clan, which implied a certain depth of knowledge.

Rhys would have to get some answers out of him later as to what all of it meant. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted, not when he was higher up than the deck of the Endeavour with no walls.

To be fair, he doubted anyone with a fear of heights could work on a cloud ship, not when you always knew that oblivion was directly beneath you and the only thing keeping you safe were the weight-reducing runes.

Thankfully, they had reached the final stretch to the outer hatch of the Daedalus. One of the crewmen was waiting with it open, the other having already gone inside. Fighting off the shiver that ran down his spine, Rhys stepped through the hatch and into the Daedalus. It felt odd to be inside another ship. He’d spent so much time in the Endeavour now that it felt like home.

The crewmen led them into the depths of the ship and up some flights of stairs, making Rhys marvel once more at the sheer size of the Daedalus. They had been halfway up when they entered, and they ascended two decks from that point. Considering that the Endeavour had three in total, cargo, crew and upper, it was a staggering amount of space.

The corridors were slightly wider than what Rhys was used to, but in contrast, the ceilings were marginally lower, giving the Daedalus a strangely compact feeling.

‘He’s ready for them,’ the crewmen who’d gone on ahead was waiting for them at the end of the corridor. Beyond him was a guarded door which was likely their destination.

Two marines stood watch over the door. They stood on either side of the doorway, each with their hand on the pistol at their belt. The marines wore the same basic uniform as the crew but bore a brace of pistols on their hip.

The marine on the right knocked on the door as they approached, opening it for them as a distant voice called from the interior.

Rhys, Tom and one of the marines stepped into the room, leaving the other marine and the crewmen outside.

‘Fair skies to you, Captain. Welcome aboard the Daedalus,’ a powerfully built man with a thick dark beard was waiting for them inside, rising from his chair at a fair-sized table as he waved for them to take a seat. ‘My name is Senior Captain Aeolus Demeteras. It is a pleasure to meet you.’

‘The pleasure is mine, Captain. My name is Rhys Hunt, Captain of the Endeavour. This is Tom Morgan, one of my crew,’ Rhys said, taking a seat at their side of the table, Tom following suit as the marine shut the door and took up a position behind them. ‘I have to compliment you, Captain. The Daedalus is a fine ship.’

‘Thank you. I must admit, the Daedalus holds a special place in my heart,’ Aeolus said, giving him a broad smile as he sat down once more. ‘Now, my man told me that you have brought us a shipment?’

‘Yes, Captain, from the Kraus and Sons branch on Arn Dukatt,’ Rhys said, noticing the elaborate tattoos on the other captain’s arm. They were far more elaborate than those on the two crew who’d come to meet them. Aeolus also had an ironwood ring on his left hand, which was inlaid with a line of silver running around it.

‘Ah, excellent, I believe the pay was one sovereign for delivery?’ Aeolus asked with a raised brow.

‘That was what we were told,’ Rhys said with a nod.

‘Good, here you go,’ Aeolus reached into his jacket and pulled out a sovereign, sliding it across the table to Rhys. ‘I will have my men come to unload the shipment within the hour if that is acceptable?’

‘Of course,’ Rhys said, tucking the coin away.

‘Excellent, well, with business out of the way, you and your senior officers are welcome to join me for dinner this evening. I can send a man later if you would care to join?’ Aeolus said, leaning back in his chair with an easy smile.

‘Of course, all four of us will be happy to attend,’ Rhys said, immediately regretting his choice of words as Aeolus raised an eyebrow.

‘Four senior officers for a ship that size?’ The other captain leaned forward with interest, gently stroking his beard as he waited for Rhys to respond.

‘Four of us in total,’ Rhys corrected somewhat awkwardly. ‘The ship is an experimental design that requires far less crew to manage.’

‘How interesting, we will have to discuss that more this evening,’ Aeolus said, tapping his lips as he considered Rhys carefully. ‘For now, I will let you get back to your ship. I’ll send a man for you later.’

Rhys started to rise, knowing a dismissal when he heard one, but Tom put a hand on his arm. ‘Captain, we should mention about our encounter.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Rhys said, a flicker of fear running through him as he remembered the kurador once more. ‘Captain, I have some bad news, though I hope that this is as close as you get to it.’ Rhys paused and licked his lips nervously, unsure of how to broach the subject.

‘What is it?’ Aeolus asked, a slight frown creasing his features as he picked up on their tension.

‘On the way here, we encountered something my crew identified as a kurador, a humongous beast that was chasing some particularly large striss rays. We escaped unharmed, but who knows where the beast has gone next.’

Rhys heard a soft exclamation from the marine behind them, but Aeolus’s reaction was far more decisive.

‘Please, take no offence, but I need you to describe it for me,’ Aeolus’s voice was firm, and Rhys found himself describing the gigantic creature without a second thought.

‘Damn it. Marine, I want all work parties grounded until further notice, and I want a twenty-four-hour watch on the surrounding sea for any sign of the creature. Inform the Major that I want the guns manned at all times and primed for action. Understood?’

‘Yes, Captain!’ The marine barked back, the door opening and closing swiftly as the marine went on his way.

‘Abyss take it, thank you for telling me, Captain. I’m afraid I will have to insist that you not leave the spire for at least two days,’ Aeolus said, holding a hand up as Rhys straightened in his chair. ‘I will cover the costs for your stay, and you are welcome to dine with my crew to save on your supplies. Trust me when I say that I do not do this lightly. My people are far more familiar with such creatures than the people of the Alliance.’

Rhys frowned as he took in the captain’s words, trying to decide whether he was afraid of the possible kurador attack or angry at the high-handed actions of the Daedalus’s captain.

‘Captain, any haelaran is far more familiar with things of the Expanse than we are. He isn’t lying about that,’ Tom said quietly, his words calming Rhys somewhat.

Shooting a glance at his uncomfortable-looking companion, Rhys turned back to Aeolus and exhaled out his frustration, bottling up the anger inside. ‘Very well, Captain, I will trust your expertise in the matter. Can I ask that you explain matters further?’

‘Yes, of course,’ Aeolus said, relaxing a little in his chair. ‘Join me for dinner, as we had planned, and bring your crew. I will explain more then. Crewman!’

‘Yes, Captain!’ The door opened to reveal one of the waiting crew who had guided Rhys and Tom onboard.

‘Gather a work party and get the cargo unloaded from the Endeavour, I want it onboard within the hour.’

‘Aye, aye, Captain!’ The door shut again, and Rhys heard the distant footsteps of the man running off to gather the work party.

‘There, at least that will be done in good time. Thank you again for your understanding, Captain. Hopefully, this will all be a needless exercise in caution,’ Aeolus said, rising to his feet and holding a hand out to Rhys.

‘I understand, though I do look forward to a complete explanation,’ Rhys said, standing and shaking the other captain’s hand.

Aeolus nodded and called for the other crewmen, who held the door open for them as they left the room. One of the marines still stood outside, but they had a grim expression and looked a little pale, which in itself backed up Tom’s words.

A trained soldier wouldn’t look that nervous about something unless they had first-hand experience with it or the aftermath of it.

Oddly reassured by the marine’s reaction, Rhys followed their guide back down and out of the Daedalus.