Emergency Stop (1)

Writers: Jane, Kaysea, Vix
Date Posted: 13th August 2007

Characters: Lineal, Neke, Tahna, Vaheri, Linli, Gheya, Torson, Bretlina
Description: A young couple beg Lineal's help in finding their lost child.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 5, day 20 of Turn 4

"She's got to be _here_ somewhere?" Torson growled out, walking along the deck searching behind chairs and under tarpaulins that were stacked and rolled neatly along the deck. Gheya followed in his wake, tears staining her face.

"What - " she hiccoughed, " - what if she fell overboard?" A fresh torrent of tears flooded down her face.

"Hush, Gheya, hush." he turned and gathered his wife in his arms, "We'll find her and she'll be safe, I promise." though he uttered the platitudes he couldn't bring himself to believe them.

Vaheri frowned as she looked past Lineal. She had found him on the upper deck and was showing him her supply requests, though she had little doubt that her list would be approved. She pointed to a crying passenger. "Something seems to be wrong."

"Indeed." Lineal glanced at his aunt, always ready to be guided by the woman who had raised him and held the role of riverboat headwoman. "I should -? We should -?" It didn't look like a domestic problem, something which the crew would tend to avoid becoming involved with.

"Anytime you're around and see a problem would be appropriate to find out its nature," she instructed him. She placed a hand on his arm and urged him toward them. "Go. Ask."

"Oh Torson, she isn't here." Gheya's voice became louder the more distressed she became.

Torson glanced over his wife's shoulder and saw two crewmembers a little further along the deck. The Captain of the paddleboat, perhaps? He hoped so anyway. "Hush Gheya, I think we have found some help." he gently turned her around, but held her close to his side. "Excuse me!" he called, and waved his free arm in the air, while propelling himself and Gheya towards the approaching man and woman.

"I'm Lineal, the captain's son. What's the problem?"

"Its our daughter" Torson answered, "She's gone missing-"

"We've looked everywhere, and can't find her." Gheya cut in.

"The little one?" Vaheri indicated the child's height with her hand.

Lineal remembered the 'lost' drill from childhood. He whistled shrilly and when crew faces turned toward him he gave the crossed arms signal for stopping the riverboat. Seeing somebody heading forward to deliver the message he turned to the parents. "We'll stop the Sungazer and do a complete search." They would put in to the best piece of bank they could find and do more than search - the post watchers to keep an eye on the river as it flowed past them, just in case the lost person was lost overboard.

Both husband and wife look mildly relieved, the woman looked from the Captain to the older woman before bursting into another torrent of sobs. "We'll find her?" she asked, not daring to hope to much.

"Shhh, shhh, Gheya the Captain has said what he's going to do, we'll find her here somewhere - I promise." his eyes met Lineal's in silent appeal.

Vaheri narrowed her eyes as she addressed the woman. "Has she been playing with other children on the boat? Someone we can ask about what interested her?"

"No, not that I'm aware of, she's stayed with us the whole trip - she's only three."

Neke felt the paddleboat changing course, she glanced out of the port hole and saw they were gliding towards the bank - this wasn't usual behaviour. She had been peeling tubers, getting everything ready for the evening meal, but she could feel the boat slowing as well and headed for the doorway to find out the cause.

"Something wrong, aunt Vaheri?" Tahna appeared almost immediately, she had seen the signal Lineal had given from her chair along the desk; she looked questioningly from her aunt to Lineal, then to the two passengers, the woman looking distressed.

"Have you seen my baby?" Gheya asked of the child. "She only-"

"I remember her, she's a cutie." Tahna smiled, "but I haven't seen her today, maybe Linli or one of the others has? She could be playing with them" she looked from one adult to the other.

The headwoman nodded to Tahna. "Get them and bring them here." She forced a smile for the parents of the lost child. "The children may be able to suggest places where she could be."

With a nod, Tahna took off down the deck, she knew where the girls normally hid, had seen them disappearing into a small hidey hole just the other day, and curious, she had followed them. Hidden behind the bales, comfortable and hidden from view from all the adults, obviously they hadn't considered the child's parents would be concerned if she disappeared.

"I'll go and get the men searching," Lineal said. He nodded at the toddler's father. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Aye, I would." he looked at the older woman, "Would you mind looking after Gheya for me?"

The headwoman nodded and placed an arm around the female passenger's shoulders. "Let's have some klah. If anyone finds her, she'll be brought here."

Lineal paused beside his uncle, as they moved forward. "A little three Turns old girl?"

Barr had come out of the boiler room when he had heard the change of speed in the engines and heard that a search was being made. He shook his head. "Not in any here, not in by the engines. The lads have reported back and they keep a careful eye out for littlies anyway."

"Thanks." Lineal nodded to Torson. "Even our own are kept away from the boilers and engines at that age," he said, hoping that was reassuring.

"Lineal?" Neke moved forward, as her father finished talking, "A child?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Three Turns old. Passenger Torson's -" he nodded at the man standing beside him, "- daughter."

"I'll check with the girls, they're down in our cabin." she nodded, and turned quickly making her way along the deck.

Last updated on the October 1st 2008

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Emergency Stop (1)