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Ambition glories of a marine biologist

Valla Yeiser then counted the dragons. The dragons were simultaneous hermaphrodites. Twenty of them. He closed the laboratory and went home to make the report for his boss Campen Otani, a man of great repute and a leader in marine biology.

Otani was done for the day. He had read the report from Valla. ‘Encouraging’ was the term he replied with. About to retire for the day he chanced about some envelopes from the evening post,  that his servant had kept on the tray mean for it. He quickly glanced through them, mostly recognizable as inane solicitation, a few letters from the marine fraternity. One was unfamiliar. He took it to his bedroom to read in leisure.

Norma, the housekeeper and cook, woke up early at 5.00 am. Professor Otani liked to have his breakfast by 7.00 am. She made the morning coffee, black as instructed by the Professor. She went upstairs, She kept the breakfast on the side table to open the landing curtains to let in the sunlight. She picked up the breakfast and went ahead to the passageway to knock on the bedroom door. There was no answer. She waited a few minutes. She knocked on the door a bit more loudly. There was no answer. She tried opening the door, but it would not yield. Slight perplexed she banged it hard to no avail. She called the police.

The police arrived in ten minutes. Professor Otani was a well-known person in the neighbourhood. They broke open the door. Professor Otani lay on the bed, very dead. He had shot himself in the head. A clear case of suicide. No suicide note was found. Valla was informed subsequently.

He arrived at the house. The police had cleared the body. He was asked to inform the institute. He went to the study of the professor. He was quite surprised with the death of the professor. He seemed so normal last evening. He looked around and spied a crumpled note underneath the side table. Obviously, it was meant for the dustbin, but it had missed the dustbin somehow.

Cannalowa Cruisers operated a Cruise to Nowhere before a long international cruise. This was primarily to test the slick operation of all aspects of the cruiser and also to ensure smooth running during the main international multiport cruise. They would recruit short-term personnel to make sure that operations are reasonably idiot proofed and also would onboard lesser passengers. This helped them to iron out any difficulties that may arise during the cruise.

Frasca did well, however he did not get the job straight away. The HR manager told him that he would be under probation for a short duration in the upcoming Cruise to Nowhere. Frasca agreed. The probation would be for two weeks on the cruise which would begin a week later.

Frasca received the appointment letter, and he left the office to prepare for the cruise.

The cruise ship, Cannalowa was getting ready for the Cruise to Nowhere. All the key personnel were on aboard or expected that day. Frasca reported on the ship as directed by the detailed letter he had received a few days earlier.

Passengers for the Cannalowa were expected one day before the actual cruise began. This was to allow some of the queasier passengers to settle down and get used to the rocking of the boat and the salty breeze. The registration desk, resplendent with colourful flags and pennants, was ready for the passengers.

A young man with a goatee boarded and came on the registration desk.

Since it was a Cruise to Nowhere all passport checks were dispensed with. The ticket was verified and the questionnaire for specific preferences in food were asked along with something specific in requests.

“Welcome Mr. Slade,” said the officer.

“ My employer Professor Mandley Orion would be joining later in the evening. Please ensure that he is accommodated in his stateroom. Keep a bottle of champagne for him ready . he is expected by 9.00 pm.”

“Yes, Mr. Slade, I will ensure that” replied the officer. Mr. Slade went his way to his cabin.

It was nearing 9.00 pm in the evening and there arose a minor commotion, more like a bit of a rumble. It was a man on a battery-operated wheelchair more in the lines of a golf buggy without a sunroof. A man with a greyish hair and a beard to match was on the buggy. He was wearing a thick rimmed pair of spectacles. He was waving a piece of paper. The officer at the registration desk got up and took the piece of paper. He looked at it and said, “Welcome, Professor Orion. We have been expecting you. Your secretary Mr. Slade had told us about your arrival.” He snapped his fingers and a well-dressed usher stepped up. He told him to take the professor to his stateroom.

Professor Orion was guided by the usher to his stateroom. The usher opened the door. The professor let himself in. The usher said, “Here is the champagne, Sir. Your secretary had informed us to keep it ready.”

The next morning, the day of the travel, a large rotund man arrived with three large suitcases and a handheld valise. His manner of speaking was loud and what could be termed as obnoxious. His demeanour indicated he expected to be waited upon. The office approached and took his tickets and said, “Welcome to the cruise Mr. Silverthorn. Your stateroom is ready.” He signaled to the usher and a porter to take all the luggage and told him to take the guest to stateroom A1.

Stateroom A1 was the most expansive stateroom on the starboard side. The usher took Mr. Silverthorn and showed him into his room. A few minutes later the porter brought in the luggage.

Mr. Silverthorn asked for the guest list from the usher and gave him a wad of money. The usher took it and left with a beaming smile. He returned with a piece of paper with some details.

Frasca settled down to do his duties. He got hold of the guest list with all the details. He had inspected all the staterooms for proper working of the water faucets, both hot and cold. He paid particular attention to the staterooms under the series A, as important guests occupied them.

He made a soap copy of the stateroom in which he was interested. He then went to the workshop within the ship and fashioned a key to the stateroom. He returned to the stateroom and checked the newly fashioned worked without any hitch. He then put it along with the stateroom details in an envelope and pushed it under the door of the cabin of Mr. Slade Rettle.

Later  in the evening, Slade noticed it when he entered the cabin and kept it with him safely.

It was 4.00pm. The cruise was all set to begin. Since it was a cruise to nowhere, there were only a few passengers than a country-to-country cruise. The band was playing, festoons hung on the deck and high tea was being served. Day 1 was truly underway. Professor Mandley was reading a book and noting something now and then in his notebook beside him. Mr. Milverton was having a drink all by himself in the corner. He had a small pair of  binoculars which he used to keenly watch the many people around him. The floor manager kept a keen watch on all the guests to make all their needs were catered to.

Slade was in his cabin. Professor Mandley had given him some assignments to plan.

The ship gave three short blasts to indicate it was backing up. With that Cannalowa was underway. The passengers started to disperse. Obviously getting ready for a gala dinner later in the day.

Professor Mandley returned to his stateroom earlier than the rest. He could not tolerate too much excitement.

The next day…

It was a glorious sunny day. The sea was calm. Hardly any reports of seasickness amongst the passengers. Most, however, preferred to take their breakfast in their respective staterooms and cabins. Professor Mandley took a saunter on his wheelchair before breakfast and had asked the officer to serve the same in his stateroom.

A few passengers did gather to play a few rounds of tennis in the tennis courts while even less took a walk on the deck. There was some complimentary coffee available near the courts and some decided to have it there. Slade had stepped out for a walk. He had met Professor Mandley in the morning to take his orders if any. However, the Professor decided to leave him free for the day. Slade took his complimentary coffee.

He saw Mr. Silverthorn taking a walk at the far side of the top deck, soaking in the sun before breakfast. After a while he was not to be seen. Perhaps Mr. Silverthorn had returned to his stateroom.

Silverthorn had indeed returned to his stateroom. He was busy that morning looking over various pieces of correspondence that he had collected. After about an hour he decided to take his bath. He found that the hot water was not hot as he expected it to be. He rang the officer in charge and lodged a formal complaint.

Frasca received a message from the senior plumber that something was wrong in stateroom A1. He packed his tools and away he went to inspect. Someone seemed to have tinkered with the settings. He corrected it and assured Mr. Silverthorn of the same. He mentioned it would not happen again. He also said he would personally visit later in the evening just to be certain everything is working well.

Mr. Silverthorn said that would be welcome. He said he normally  has a bath in the late evening. Frasca then went to Mr. Slade’s cabin and let pushed in another note for Mr. Slade.

Frasca got ready to check on the hot water in stateroom A1. For the difficulty Mr. Silverthorn had faced, Frasca also got a champagne bottle from the pantry. He prepared the bottle so that it could be given appropriately.

Frasca arrived at stateroom A1. He said,  “Good evening, Mr. Silverthorn. I am here to check the water as I had promised.”

“Please do.”

Frasca then gave a champagne bottle to Mr. Silverthorn and said, “Here is a compliment from us. Hope you enjoy it.”

As Frasca left he saw Mr. Silverthorn had already opened the bottle.

Slade saw the note when he opened the door to his cabin. He read its contents. Opened a strange looking toolkit and a bag. He got ready. He made sure that the key supplied by Frasca was with him. He looked out of his cabin door. There was no one about. He removed his goatee. He put on a redhead wig and stepped out. He went straight to the stateroom A1. He quietly used the key to open the door and peeped in. He was sure that Mr. Silverthorn would be very much in a stupor and would barely be in a state to speak coherently. He looked around and spied that half of the champagne had been consumed. He cautiously went to the bath

Mr. Silverthorn was lying in the bath with his eyes closed and had a blissful look on his face. Slade took out a syringe from his effects and filled it with a clear liquid from a bottle. This would drastically reduce the blood pressure and act like a blood thinner. He applied a local anesthetic to Mr. Silverthorn and injected him with the same. Mr. Silverthorn gave a start, but his drowsiness was deep enough. His eyes remained closed.

Slade went on to open his bag and removed a glass jar with what appeared to be a school of blue fish. He made sure that the bath outflow drain was shut. He opened the jar and put it in the bath near the armpit of Mr. Silverthorn.

He agitated the fish, and they immediately went to work. They were not fish but what was usually referred to as blue dragons. They stung Mr. Silverthorn, with the borrowed venom of a Portuguese Man of War. They have been on a diet of the siphonophore for last three weeks and were well stocked with the nematocysts. Some more agitation and some more reaction. Slade repeated the process some more times.

He measured the pulse of Mr. Silverthorn. It was alarmingly low. Slade then repeated the injection with the vial to make sure the venom would aggravate the heart blood pressure further.

Soon there was no pulse in the  body of Mr. Silverthorn, now truly and clearly deceased.

Using a small net Slade collected the blue dragons. He put them in the bottle.

He went the way he had come. As he left, he put the Do Not Disturb sign outside stateroom A1.

He made sure that he poured out the blue dragons out into the sea. He made sure they would live. He then threw the toolkit and the bag out in the ocean one by one.

He put on his goatee and removed his redhead wig.

Slade then went to Frasca’s room. Frasca had already packed most of his things. The next day the cruise ended, and the ship would return to the port it left from. He picked up the luggage and walked towards his cabin. On the way he disposed each piece of the luggage into the ocean.

All the documents relating to Frasca were neatly torn and put in a plastic bag with a paperweight. He dropped into the sea on the port side of the ship where his cabin was.

The final day…

The officers on the ship got ready to drop anchor in the next two hours. Most passengers had their breakfast in bed.

Professor Mandley Orion got ready and to disembark. He had ordered his breakfast in bed. He then got ready to kill his secretary.

He had asked Rettle to pack his bags and keep them in his stateroom. Rettle had already done that. No evidence of Rettle in terms of his cabin. All the surfaces were scrupulously cleaned with alcohol and detergent were necessary. Frasca had done a similar exercise in his room as well. Some of the important pieces of luggage were put in the large empty box by Professor Mandley who had arrived with. All the evidence of Slade Rettle was gone.

The ship anchored. Professor Mandley Orion on his wheelchair got ready to disembark.

The officer asked, “Your secretary Mr. Slade would be accompanying you, Sir?”

“No, he would be following shortly. I will proceed ahead. My transport would be waiting.”

Most of the passengers had disembarked.

Valla had dismantled all the remaining pieces of luggage and disposed of each in various locations. Some in second-hand shops, some in the dustbins across the city, some  in the city dumps. Professor Orion too was practically dead.

Valla Yeiser was back in his laboratory. He had indicated to the laboratory that he would go to the seashore to study glaucus atlanticus for a few days and collect new specimens. He looked at his notes, well documented with details of each specimen he had gathered along with photographs. He would study them and make the study of how glaucus can potentially enhance the potency of the nematocysts it harvests.