I woke up with spinning head painful extremities, and a psychic "voice mail" with hundreds of messages waiting. Where the heck? Oh! "Sailing Master"'s engine room.

"Hi Nick. When did you find me?"

"Just now, Skipper. you've been missing quite a while..."

"It seems that Mobius' tenant Adlick decided to play with my head a while. I need you to go to my cabin, drawer "M", code stym. About 10 cc in a one-use, OK? And send WB in with it, right? Otherwise, mum's the word. Oh, tell Amy; she'll have been worried. You've just been in a holding pattern outside the harbor?" Of course he had; he knew me well enough. I never just 'disappear' from a responsibility if I have a choice.

Nick bent over and kissed me, said part was from Amy, and dashed off.

WB arrived shortly, hesitantly. I waved her over, and gave her a warm kiss of welcome, and of apology. A quick poke of the stimulant, five minutes of hugging, and I was indeed ready to take a look at how well my ship had been handled.

Amy came running up to us just as we left the engine room. She pulled me by my ears into bending over to being eye-to-eye, and kissed the dickens out of me while nearly hugging my neck off. I looked in her eyes, she returned the deep look: her face broke into a huge smile and she dashed back abovedecks to get back to work. She knew me well enough that the look was enough to indicate all was well.

I turned back to WB and let her know why she was so long to be released. The actions of her mates had no doubt reduced the chance of serious injuries, and she understood it was not my deliberate doing. I told her that by the next time I slept, I expected to have apologized to her several times.... one way or another. She dropped to her knees, and I laughed and pulled her to her feet again. I had a lot of staying power, but it wasn't time to start YET.

I started running through the brain-mail, and of course Alura was next in line. I sent her a message to come see me NOW, and where I was.

Seconds later, she lazed into the room and flashed that half-grin of hers. I looked at her and said, "Position, knees"! She just stood and looked at me. Five seconds later, the unauthorized clothes were ripped off, and she was in correct placement. Might have hurt a little, but she rushed me.

"We have so much to talk about, I'll start off easily. (If she'd known me well, she'd have been warned by the quiet tone. WB looked alarmed, but kept her own council.)

"This is a ship, not a boat. It is NOT the love boat, nor is it a drunken cruise. I allow service of liquor when it is appropriate, with Ruby as another decider if I'm busy.

"As this is a sailing ship, she is sailed.... not driven.

"Aboard "Sailing Master", until I am educated about your current moods and behaviors, you are a sub. That may change, depending on how you act. If you don't agree, there is a 'crow's nest' at the top of the mainmast. You can be the next crow there."