Captain Riker

Riker was born in a Portuguese colony, the son of a blacksmith and a washerwoman. In his youth, he was drafted into the army for a fight with an officer - and, paradoxically, it was there that he found his place. He fought in Flanders, in naval battles off the coast of Spain, and was wounded in the left shoulder during the siege of La Rochelle. He does not seek glory, but serves with dignity. Over the years, he acquired a reputation as an honest but stern officer who does not forgive cowardice.

After twenty years of service, returning to the city where his youth began, he gathered his old friends - with whom he shared bread and blood - and headed to the brothel, as it used to be in the old days. The scarlet light of the lanterns, the smell of cheap wine, the dusty laughter of the girls.

And then – a look. Behind the heavy curtain, almost in the shadows – a boy of about 15, dressed in silk. His face was washed, but his gaze was dull, empty. He was not serving the guests. He was just standing. Riker held his gaze – not out of lust, but out of a strange feeling: as if the boy was out of place. As if he was waiting. Or hiding.

The captain looked away. It was none of his business. He poured himself some wine, noisily inhaled the tobacco smoke and remained sitting at the table. But an alarming thought itched somewhere at the edge of his consciousness…