S. puts the valise under a blanket because “intuition tells him that it is a thing best kept out of sight.” Given he suffers from amnesia, his intuition is quite sharp which might either reveal something great or a plot hole.

S. heads up to the deck in search of Maelstrom. Instead he finds a “noticeably thinner” crew to which Eric wonders whether Straka is referring to “the diminishing ranks of The S.” which would make sense but the crew of the ship is likely bellow deck and soon to return to work unlike the members of The S.

There is a woman on deck that S. “might find attractive were it not for the narrowed eyes that look starved of everything but meanness.” This description is very detailed unlike those of the people in the photographs. This could be commenting on good vs. evil. While the crew on the ship is not friendly its members do not commit the atrocities that Vevoda’s agents commit and thus deserve individuality and detailed description.