Tarrek's body is wrapped in canvas and laid in a coffin constructed of the same timbers that Seahorse herself is built from.  A quantity of lead, taken from the ship's own balast is placed in the coffin with the body, and the lid is fixed in place by the carpenter, though Rovane herself drives home the first and last nails.

Work elsewhere on the ship does not stop while this goes on.

Eventually though, most of the crew are called to the main deck, leaving only a man at the helm, and one on watch at the masthead.  The coffin is brought up and laid on the deck, by the rail.

Rovane steps up, and looks at the gathered crew, noting the old faces, and the new.  Finaly, she starts to speak...

"We all knew Tarrek, to varying degrees, and now it is our solemn duty to commit to the sea his mortal body.  And so, we call trustfully upon whatever god watched over him in life, to continue to do so in death, and to judge him mercifully."

The captain falls silent, then, bowing her head, and the crew follow suit.  A silent prayer for divine mercy for the deceased first mate.  After  perhaps a minute, six of the crew step forward and lift the coffin, so that one end of it rests on the rail.

"The gods have chosen to call the soul of our brother from this life to the next one.  But he was of the Sea, so we give his body to the waters, for, even in death, he does not belong to the Land.  And he carries with him part of the ship, so he'll remember his shipmates."

"May his soul find peace."

The men supporting the coffin slide it forward, and it drops over the rail, and into the ocean.

Another brief silence, and then Rovane says quietly, "Back to work, lads."

Tahirah stands quietly and respectfully through the ceremony, head bowed and arms folded.  When it is over, she steps closer to the rail, to watch the coffin bobbing away in the water.

She speaks softly, almost more to the departing body than to James.  "Almost, I did think it was natural.  But even the dead retain traces of who they were...lingering touches of the spirit remain, reluctant to fade.  His shell is empty as the Void Between Stars; his being stolen, drawn out by the hand of another."

After a moment in silence, she turns towards James, and gives a small bow.  "I will circulate the ship, and see if I may sense whose hand it was."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:03, Tue 25 Mar 2008.

James shudders, "That's horrible."  He means it too.  Death is one thing, stealing someone's spirit is quite another.  Despite his own apparent immortality, James has enough experience of death to see it as a normal thing - not to be desired certainly, but not to be feared either.  The soul, on the other hand, should be sacrosanct and James finds Tarrek's fate utterly repugnant.

"Be careful, Tahirah."  James resolves to keep the seer in sight, if possible.  More than ever he feels vulnerable.  Whatever happened to Tarrek, James is not sure he can defend against it.