The City of Eyton Part 1
Posted on Wed Nov 3rd, 2010 @ 12:25am by Captain T'mpest Michaels
2,117 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission: Structured Shoreleave - Marchwiel
ON
The night turned cool as the wagon made its way to town. T'mpest shivered slightly in the cool breeze. She'd left her cloak back at he river with her just-washed clothes. Now she wished she'd brought a spare with her. But she'd spent many a cold night in the desert, so she wasn't overly concerned.
The sky was clear and she could see hundreds of stars. She watched the stars as she allowed the night and the stars to focus her thoughts.
The city wasn't very far away, and the towering walls of the city were now coming into view. Zhukov noticed the intricate marble statues that were all along the top of the wall. As the cart lumbered forward, they grew larger, and so did the main gates into the city. Zhukov looked over at T'mpest and saw she was a little chilled. He smiled at her, took off his jacket, and placed it gently over her shoulders.
"Thank you," she said with a smile.
About 500 meters from the wall, the cart was stopped by a squad of guards carrying flintlock type muskets and torches. There were bayonets fixed to the weapons and they were at the ready.
"Hey, you there, HALT. Don't you know not to be out here after dark?" asked the Sergeant.
"Yes, Sergeant. We had some trouble on the road there, but everything is alright now." replied Retock.
The guard paused for a moment and looked up. "Ahh, is that you Retock?" asked the Sergeant.
"Yes, it is. Sergeant Canille?" asked Retock.
"Yes! It's good to see you, my friend. Who is this you have with you?" asked the guard as he held the torch closer to the wagon.
Retock smiled. "This is my new wife, Helda." he said motioning to his new bride. "And back here, we have Mr. Zutov and his wife." he said as he pointed into the back of the wagon.
Zhukov nodded. Then the sudden realization hit him...that he had NO paperwork to prove who he was and neither did T'mpest. Did they even have passports and ID cards yet? He had no idea. He began to panic slightly and his breathing rate increased and his heart began to pump faster. He glanced at T'mpest with a slight hint of fear in his eyes as if to say...be ready just in case.
T'mpest reached out and squeezed his hand gently. She wanted to pass some of her calm to Zhukov. They would get through this one way or the other. Especially as their new friends knew the guard.
The Sergeant seemed pleased. "Ah, very good. Congratulations Retock! Please tell your father and mother I said hello." said Sergeant Canille.
Retock nodded. "I will. And tell your brother," Retoick began to laugh,"that he still owes me money from the Evalu campaign!"
Sergeant Canille and a few of the other guards laughed as well. Clearly Retock had, at one point, been to the front with these men.
Canille nodded as he finished laughing at Retock's statement. "I will, Retock. Good evening to you, and to your guests." the Sergeant said. "You may pass."
"And to you, my friend." Retock replied as he snapped the reigns and the animals began to pull the cart forward again. As the cart moved, Zhukov looked harder at Sergeant Canille and noticed that the entire left side of his face was scarred and that he walked with a very definite limp.
As the distance between them and the guards increased, Zhukov spoke up. "Retock, how long did you serve with Sergeant Canille?" he asked.
Retock took a deep breath. "Only about two years, but his younger brother and I served for almost six years together. The good Sergeant was too close to an exploding shell at the Battle of Nertossa and it almost killed him." Retock replied.
"Was that past of the Evalu campaign?" asked Zhukov.
Retock chuckled, "Oh, no. That was at least three campaigns before Evalu." he replied.
"How long were you in the service of the city?" Vladimir asked him.
"All total, about ten years. Two here in the city on guard and patrol, and seven and a half on camapign." he replied. "I was very fortunate though. Not 1 in 5 men that goes to fight comes home anymore." he added. "They placed me in the supply corps though because apparently I'm good at counting things." he said with a little laugh. "Zutov, were you in the military?" Retock asked.
Zhukov paused for a moment to choose his words carefully. "Yes, I was in the service, but did most of my time...at sea." Zhukov replied.
"Ahh, a Navy man. Yes, indeed, then you MUST be from Garnel! They have a great naval tradition there." Retock replied. "And, you have the look of a sailor too. Now, don't take that the wrong way friend, I meant it as a compliment." Retock stated to Zhukov.
Zhukov just smiled. He didn't want to give away too much information to them, but sometimes in order to get answers, one had to answer certain questions. "Funny you should say that. My wife here has family in Garnel, isn't that right dear?" he asked T'mpest, hoping she could try and change the subject as she answered or ask another set of questions before they entered the city proper.
"Oh yes," T'mpest laughed. "My family teases him about looking more like a withered old fish because of his years at sea." She gave him a fond smile.
Retock and Helda both laughed and Zhukov just nodded. "It's the truth." Vladimir simply stated with a smile.
The wagon came to a slow stop and the large double wooden doors that were the main gate to the city slowly began to open. Zhukov looked them over and estimated them to be about 10 or 12 meters high and about 8 meters wide. They were big enough for large siege machines and other large vehicles to pass through without much problem.
In a few moments, the large doors were opened to reveal a busy city inside. Retock snapped the reins and the wagon began to move again.
"Retock, how old are these walls?" asked Vladimir.
Rotock shrugged his shoulders. "You know, I've never thought to ask. My Great-Grandfather told me stories when I was young about his grandfather helping to rebuild sections that were destroyed in the Great World War, so I would say they date at least six generations or more." he replied as the wagon began to rumble. They had now entered the city and the wagon was on a cobblestone street.
The houses and buildings were mostly brick, or stone, with wooden roofs. There were street vendors pushing wooden carts loaded with fabrics, fruit, meats, and various types of fish. In the center of the city stood large stone columns coming out of a very large palace type structure. Zhukov thought that that must be where the city rulers were housed.
"So what do you do now that you aren't in the service anymore?" Retock asked Zhukov.
"Ahh...well...I haven't really found a good profession yet. I used to...be a navigator and a pilot." he replied.
Retock nodded. "Well, my mother's brother has a fishing business over on the coast, he may be in need of some help if you're looking to settle down here."
Zhukov nodded. "Yes, that would be wonderful. We are not sure if Eyton is the place for us or not, but I thank you for the invitation." he replied, trying to give as little information as possible. The less information he gave, the less likely he would get a story wrong when trying to ask Retock and his people more questions.
"Does this city still have a wonderful selection of fresh baked goods?" Zhukov asked, trying to change the subject.
Helda spoke up. "Yes, sir. My father is the baker on this side of town, and growing up around all those wonderful treats, I can tell you they are the best. I can show...your wife a few tricks I have picked up in the kitchen if she would like to learn?" she asked. "You know, I never did catch your name, mam." she said to T'mpest.
"Damia," T'mpest replied. "And I would love to learn some of your tricks. Perhaps I could show you a few tricks with fry bread. I learned it from an old friend." She smiled at Vladimir. "I would also like to explore the city with Zhutov. I am fascinated by ancient architecture."
Six generations wasn't exactly old, compared to cities she'd seen that were 2 thousand years old, but she was still interested. She wondered if they had a library of sorts where she could look through their books.
"Perhaps tomorrow we could look for a place to stay for a few days while we decide if we wish to settle down here or continue on." she said.
Zhukov nodded. "Yes, I want to thank you both for your hospitality this evening." he said to Retock and Helda.
Rotock nodded. "It was the least we could do." he said as he snapped the reins again and the animals pulling the wagon came to a stop. "Well, here we are. It's not much to look at right now, but I'm hoping we can make some improvements to the place over time." he finished.
Zhukov gave the home a good look. The building was dark brown in color, with a foundation of stone and a wooden roof. The walls were a dark colored brown or tan brick and it was only a single story. There did appear to be a basement, but it was difficult to tell from the street level how big it was or how far back it went.
Zhukov and T'mpest got out of the wagon after Retock and Helda. "Can we help with anything?" asked Zhukov to Retock.
"No, no. The women will unload. Please, come in and let me show you around our humble home." Retock said to Zhukov as he motioned with his arm. "The ladies will have it all unloaded in no time."
Vladimir glanced back at T'mpest and nodded as if to say, see you soon and keep up the research.
She tried not to chuckle. She'd helped unload shuttles and air cars on more than one occasion. Twice she'd been told to start a fire while the men unloaded. This was the first time men had gone inside and left the woman to unload.
Vladimir didn't know the local customs. No one in all of Starfleet really did. The interaction he and T'mpest were having with Retock and Helda were the most interaction with the natives anyone had ever had. Fortunately, he and T'mpest could play the role of outside visitors and kind of play dumb when it came to the details. He hoped that would be enough to cover them for the next 12 to 24 hours that they were in the city.
T'mpest grabbed the heaviest-looking box and followed Helda into the small house. The main room was large and mostly empty. A table and chairs, a bench, two rocking chairs, a shelf of tools, and a large fireplace. A hand-tied rag rug covered much of the floor. Two doors led into the rest of the house.
"Put the box in the room on your left," Helda said. "We'll put everything in there and then stable the horses."
While Helda's back was turned, T'mpest rolled her eyes. The men didn't even help with the horses?
T'mpest was very careful to grab the heaviest boxes, but not let Helda notice. It was the least she could do for the other woman. She stacked the boxes along one wall to make them easier to unpack later.
"You're very strong," Helda noticed when they brought in the last of the boxes.
"My father sent me out to clear rocks from the field before he planted." She shrugged. "It made me strong."
Then the two led the horses to the back and into the small stable where Helda unharnessed them and T'mpest brushed them down. Finally, the horses were fed and covered with blankets. The two women walked into the house, chatting about animal personalities.
Helda walked through the door on the right. It led to a hallway with two doors on either side and one on the end. Helda opened one of the doors, revealing a small room with a bed, table and chair. "This will be for you and Zhutov. I hope you find it comfortable."
She closed the door and continued down the hall to the room on the end where Retock and Zhutov were having a drink.
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