Swamped

You're not a violent man, as a rule. Not since you left the navy behind.

But you consider yourself a practical man, and at times like this, there are few practical solutions. Sometimes you just have to hit a screaming lady in the back of the head, because that's one of the only things you can do with what you have available.

Of course, you do it as gently as possible. You need her to wake up before you can question her.

Unfortunately, as she falls to the ground she lands on your legs, and she's heavier than she looks. You worry, for a moment, that someone will emerge from the strange gateway to help her.

But instead, it vanishes. Suppose they don't think she's worth the trouble now.

It takes a few minutes before the crew arrives, and the first thing you do is have them test you for lucidity. Everything suggests you're clear. The dead chicken was real, and so are Ms. Becky - or perhaps Ms. Viel's - hands and feet.

But there's still a lot of unanswered questions, and she's the only source you can see for resolving any of them.

Well, the knight in the strange uniform might know some things, too.

---

Your name is Corvus, and you feel lost.

The last thing you remember was being on a flying ship. But now you seem to be on one in the water. You're sure the damn gateways are to blame somehow, but you haven't figured out the details yet.

You've also managed to lose your breather mask, and the local medic informs you that you've been hit by a dose of glaxin gas, and apparently they're struggling to treat all the victims of it right now. He warns you that, depending on how long you were exposed, you might experience hallucinations, says it's a side effect that some of the other victims seem to have run into.

Which is weird to you. Back in your early days at the Guild, there was a big fuss over glaxin gas. There was a major treaty signed banning its use, and even the Guild wasn't willing to take chances dealing in it any more. The hallucinogenic effects were a big part of the talk surrounding it. But to hear this medic, you'd think that was a new discovery. And when you ask how long the ship's been at sail, he says six months. That treaty was a lot longer than six months ago.

The medic also says that the captain's probably going to send someone to question you sooner or later, but he'll try to delay that until you've recovered somewhat. You're still finding your bearings, so you appreciate that.

He asks if you have any questions before he goes off to check on another patient.