Cosmic Conspiracies

A commercial skate cog sailed across the roaring northern waters, laden with cargo from Tremes, a port town nestled between the fjords, to Kasterkar. A strong wind tossed the cog in all directions. Hectoliters of water poured from the cloud-black sky. The cog's skates helped keep it upright, but they would have been a huge problem if the ship had run aground. The sailors struggled with the square sail, which was flopping like a fish on land. Two sailors shouted at each other, trying to keep the sail level. In the doorway to the lower deck stood a captain with a goatee and short mustache, a small scar under his right eye, and a long yellow hooded coat. The captain directed the sailors, barely able to keep his feet from the rising wind. The sailors struggled with the lines. Suddenly, one of them was thrown from the mast as if by a slingshot by a sudden gust of wind. He held on to the rope, circled the choppy waves, and returned to the deck. He struck the wooden mast and fell like a log to the ground. Without a second thought, the captain rushed to the rescue. He grabbed the unfortunate man by the collar and, with great effort, dragged him into the room. He called another sailor to help him hold the sail. The second sailor ran to the deck in just his undershirt and, like a cat, climbed the mast. The ropes twisted wildly, and the sailor barely managed to grab the thickest one, corresponding to the position of the sail. The sailor who had fallen from the mast lay in the room with a gash in his head, clutching his bleeding wound, applying a wet cloth to the wound. The lamps hanging on the deck had long since extinguished by the rain, even though they were supposed to be waterproof. The wind continued. Suddenly, reflections of light appeared on the water. The captain, with great curiosity, crawled to the side. The reflections visible in the distance were approaching the ship. The captain clung to the railing. Underwater, he saw the outline of what looked like a large fish. Suddenly, the object leaped from the water and hovered several meters above the ship. The captain examined the faintly glowing object, its outline resembling a thick, elongated cigar. He also saw the large, engraved letters XQ. The object brightened slightly and moved like an arrow, away from the ship, further causing an unimaginable gust of air. The cog capsized.