"This day has been the most amazing experience of my life," I told Gary, "The ocean is a thousand times more powerful and abundant than I ever imagined, and already I feel completely a part of her." Gary just smiled at me with his warm acknowledging eyes.

"The night will fall soon and we will dine under the wonder of a trillion stars!" Gary spoke with warm excitement, "Max, Pei! Time to prepare an ocean feast fit for our Lord and his lady."

"Well, 'my Lord,'" Mila spoke with a smile, "Perhaps there is time for romance and adventure on this journey of such an important task." She smiled at me very warmly and turned to the front of Hi-Sun to gaze into the direction of our destination.

What is it about this 'Lord' business that I am suddenly being called by everyone? The more I traveled with Gary, the more I felt he completely knew what had landed us here on his draw boat. Perhaps tonight we could find time to talk a bit more and see if he actually was taking me seriously, or if this was simply the way he made all his customers feel.

Lady-Sun once again set out ahead of us and we chased her tail into the horizon as she slipped away for another night. The stars thickened and became more apparent. Over Gary's shoulder, a long-tailed falling star traced its descent down and over the horizon.

"We have a second moon joining us tonight my young travellers. She will be up later in the evening and will dull the stars somewhat. Our third laying still under the horizon, she would join us on another night. So until she comes, enjoy the stars now, as they glow."

Max and Pei brought their kitchen hot plates to the deck and laid out the food for an open dinner. Pei then lifted and brought across a string of large fresh fish, all strung together.

"I didn't see you pick those up at the markets, Pei." Pei just gestured to the ocean many lengths below the deck of our Hi-Sun. Somehow either Max or Pei had managed to hook onto some fresh fish without any of us even noticing.

"Perhaps tomorrow you can show me how to catch fish from such a high level. It should be fun." Gary laughed and said, "Don't catch too many — Max and Pei take great pride in their work."

"Would one or two be ok with you, Pei?" Pei smiled and seemed to acknowledge that it would be fine. "So tomorrow we fish!" I proclaimed.

We laughed and feasted and laughed some more, with Max and Pei giving us raucous entertainment — dances and wild clown performances. Mila laughed and joined in with a jig of her own. We all settled as our second moon hit the horizon and suddenly seemed to place a smaller feeling onto us. I caught Gary with a slightly troubled look on his face, gazing up at an angle into the heavens. He then caught my stare.

"It is an evening worthy of your presence, my Lord. Our second moon truly is a satellite of magnitude. I sometimes wonder how we manage to keep her in our orbit."

I looked at the location of Gary's concerned concentration, but was unable to notice any difference in the skies and heavenly bodies above our heads. Gary looked at me again and then started to speak.

"I think that you have some questions for me, my young Lord, and I for you. Would you like to make a start?"

Mila came to sit beside me and took my leg around her arm, resting her head.

"You call me Lord, but I know that you are a man of the ocean. I feel there is something familiar and expected about the way you have taken us aboard."

Gary sat still for a long while and even smiled at Mila and myself several times, nodding in agreement to my question. I seemed to have asked him exactly the right thing. Gary called Pei for his pipe and Pei rapidly served him one with a fine timber casing. Gary carefully selected his smoking leaf and ground it gently into his pipe. He lit the pipe and continued to smile and nod his head in agreement.

"The legend has passed from generation to generation and has gone on to be no more than a lost tale. My mother was a lady of the spiritual order and I loved her so dearly as she was my true guide and guardian. She was protector of the Book of Legend, carried for longer than our records can show. She instilled within my learnings that there are moments of which duty just comes about. They mostly go unnoticed by the masses, but they are as real to existence and the survival of our planet as the air we breathe. When this moment comes along, you will know it. Do not doubt for an instant that what you feel is absolutely real and it is that belief in life and your ability to perceive of which cannot be ignored. To do so could be the end of you in more ways than you could possibly imagine and the effect of such ignorance spreads its ramifications far and wide. So do not at any time ignore the knowingness that you have, for it is as real as I stand here before you now."

Her words have never left me: "You are gifted, my son, in more ways than you can ever imagine and when the time comes for you to fulfill your duty and responsibility of who you are, you will know. You will know." My mother — the love of my life — passed not too long ago. But I have not forgotten for even one moment that the day would come, and I knew with certainty that I was ready. She was right. I woke early yesterday morning and placed my hand on Hi-Sun to reassure myself that she was ready too. Mila and yourself walked straight through the many uncharted draw boats. The drivers of them all just seemed to fall into a timeless silence and you both came straight to my guide. I know what I see, my Lord, and I am here as your guide and protector. My Hi-Sun and cheerful crew may not be much, but we are devoted to your purpose and will die before we see anything come before you."

Gary sat back and relaxed into his deck chair with his pipe. He looked satisfied that he had answered me completely, and now without having to say a word I received his question of what it was that I was here to do.

"I am Lord of Water. My duty is to calibrate and protect all water planets across this universe. The preciousness of such is all that is able to sustain life. For without water there is neither life nor an atmosphere that is suitable to breathe. There are many, but they are far apart. For this universe is vast and the dead masses in their abundance make them appear but few. I have lost none, and would die before even one could be stripped of its precious resource. Each one, an incredible jewel and source of life in abundance with magical beauty. My reward is a lifetime of fun as we have had today. But the chore must and has to be carried out. For without calibration, this planet may tip, or lay open to threat from hostile, parasitical forces.

We must find the highest point. The Apex of the longest day, pointed high and open to the sun. For there, the White Sapphire Crystal lies. How it works, I will remember when I can once again see the source of her energy. And once set, this wonderful water planet will lay protected for another million rotations around the sun. If I am late by even one day, she could be found — and the risk of her being broken and pillaged stakes the life of every man, woman, child and living creature in this world. But the ramifications also reach further than this planet and would start an unbalancing across all water planets of this sector where we lay.

I feel that we are well on time with our calibration, but until I see the face of the White Sapphire Crystal, I will only then know that all is ok or what has to be done. For when my work is complete, it is back to fun and frolicking with my Mila, and I know I have gained some new lifelong friends."

Gary smiled and puffed on his pipe. Mila gleaming in affinity as she does. The two of them, then the three of us all laughed raucously together.

"Some new friends for life. That is for sure." Gary concluded.

We basked in the brightness and grandness of the second moon, almost able to reach out and touch her with our fingertips.

Another grand night amongst the stars.