Skyblaze (8 page)

He frowned. ''That was your sentence? The
Council sent you to Surebleak?''

''My daughter, who is now delm in my place
by the Council's order, sent me to Surebleak. The Council wanted my
life.''

There was a long pause, then Andy Mack said
carefully.

''You go to Korval, once you hit
planet?''

She laughed. ''To what end? I did not fight
for Korval. I fought to protect my cabs, my daughter, my life.
Before that, I negotiated in good faith to ferry a group-client
from the port to a city park, and return them, at need.''

''When my daughter -- my delm -- sued for my
life, the Council offered this, as leniency: That I might not show
my face in Solcintra for twelve years Liaden, nor to be seen
anywhere on planet in control of a vehicle until such time as the
Council of Clans credited that I had been cured of my errors and
was no longer a rash and conspicuous danger to the populace and
institutions of Liad. I would be disallowed from forming alliances,
making contracts, or adult decisions without the written consent of
my delm, or the nadelm if appropriate. That was to be revisited at
the end of the dozen years, if the Council of Clans pleased.''

There was silence -- for a moment. Then Andy
Mack sighed a heavy sigh for her, putting aside the minute metal
piece he'd been studying, moving his hands as if he now rubbed his
wrists against unseen shackles.

''House arrest for a dozen years? No time
off for good behavior? That's hardly a civilized way to be --''

''Happens,'' said Cheever sharply, ''and
we've both talked to a man on-world who had his delm do the same.''
He looked to her.

''What about your cab -- could you bring
that?''

She shook her head, Terran-style.

''
My cab
,'' she said, ''my cab that
carried you to Dragon's Valley -- that was destroyed on the spot
where Tommee exited; we took pieces of sharpness --'' here she
paused, not knowing the exactly correct word . . .

''Shrapnel,'' Andy Mack said. ''That could
hurt a civilian vehicle pretty bad.''

''Thank you. The Commander
Higdon, an excellent man for all that he was banished forever from
Liad on pain of death, he offered to replace my cab, but that
replacement vehicle was --'' here she sighed out loud against her
own wishes -- ''That vehicle was
dedicated
. It is to be used for
carrying the Council Speaker only, and to be manned by drivers
furnished around the clock by Wylan.''

There was a loud snap then as McFarland
stretched both hands, interlocked, to the ends of his arm with
quite some energy.

''So they stole your cab, took your ring,
and took your name. Then they tossed you randomly off-world?''

She looked down to her Ringless hand.

''That last, no, not that. Even a madwoman
must obey her delm. So it was that Wylan commanded me to go
off-world, for she knows my limits perhaps not so finely as I do
myself, but near enough. Twelve years a drain upon my House --
that, I would not, could not, abide. And so I was granted capital,
and a berth arranged -- to Surebleak. I think Fereda -- my
daughter, though perhaps not my delm -- had hoped that Korval's
wing would unfurl.''

''But you didn't ask.''

''This is not of the
Dragon's
melant'i
, but my own.''

They exchanged glances, the two Terrans, and
it was Cheever McFarland who asked, ''So, what're you doing for
work?''

''I have just this afternoon had an offer of
work,'' she said, ''but first, I must ask --'' She looked to Andy
Mack.

He nodded, watching her.

''Are you also called the Colonel, and have
you offered to stake Jemie a cab, if she hires a second
driver?''

A grin spread slowly over his face.

''Now, then, happens I am and happens I do.
You applyin'?''

''I am, if --'' She looked to the other man,
who was watching interestedly -- ''if Pilot McFarland may give me a
reference.''

He laughed, and her stomach sank, hearing in
his merriment the last and best of her slender hopes
dissolving.

''Give you a reference? Hell, I'll buy you a
cab!''

''No, hey, now -- none o'that! Competition's
all well and good, in its place. What we need right now is a
port-n-city taxi squad that's honest, strange as that word might
fall on your ear, there, Pilot. If Ms. Vertu's willin' to take
Jemie on, then I think we're on the way to solving a couple
problems right now.''

''I would welcome the work,'' Vertu said,
looking between the two of them. ''Wylan has driven cabs for many
generations. We have experience that, perhaps, Jemie might find to
-- to our profit.''

''Startin' with gettin' the name of the taxi
service big enough to be read 'cross the street,'' Cheever
said.

''That,'' Vertu admitted, with a smile, ''is
one of the first things I will speak of with her.''

''All right, then,'' Colonel Andy Mack said.
''Soon's I can get the news to Jemie, you got work.''

''Jemie had stopped at the Emerald for her
supper, and asked me to come by when I had finished here. She
proposed to take me home as a free-fare, with the debt to be paid
that I drive for her some day when there was need.''

''Well, now she can drive her partner home
and bring 'er back to port tomorrow to pick up 'er cab.''

Andy Mack grinned and stuck out his hand,
Terran style. Vertu blinked, then placed her hand in his.

They shook.

''Done!''

'''bout time,'' Cheever McFarland said.
''Speaking of the Emerald, I'm heading back that way, Ms. Vertu,
and I'd take it kindly if you'd have some supper with me before you
go on home. If Jemie can't wait, I'll drive you back.''

''Thank you,'' she said, rising. ''That is
very kind, but --''

''No buts,'' he said firmly, and bowed her
toward the back door ahead of him.

*

It was spring at last, insofar as Surebleak
entertained the season. Vertu dea'San sat in her cab outside of the
Emerald Casino on the Port, awaiting her contracted fare.

Who was . . . about to be late. She lowered
the window, settling back into the seat that by now knew her shape,
and considered starting the meter. Spring had brought the addition
of a third cab to Jemie's fleet, and a new driver, known to the
Colonel, for he had grown up on a Surebleak street. One leg was
cybernetic, but that was no handicap to the cab, and he held the
streets in his head like a driver-born. Soon, they would need a
fourth driver to stand at call, and she and Jemie had discussed the
possibility of branching out into the ground-courier bidness.

The Emerald's door opened, and a big man
exited, crossing to the cab in a half-dozen long strides, and
settling familiarly into the seat beside the driver.

'''Evenin','' he said, pulling the door
closed and giving her a grin. ''Ready?''

She nodded, looking down at herself -- a
white shirt and a dark sweater under a spring-weight jacket; new
trousers and boots. She was as presentable as she might be, for
this trip out to the end of the road, and an introduction she
thought never to receive.

''Know the way?'' Cheever asked her, waking
the echo of memories.

Vertu grinned and put the car into gear.

''I know the way,'' she said. ''The question
becomes -- Can we afford the fare?''

He laughed, and she did, and the car slipped
into traffic, heading out the Road, toward Korval.

Sharon Lee and Steve
Miller are the co-authors of the best-selling Liaden Universe®
series and have been writing together since the first “Kinzel”
stories hit
Fantasy Book
in the 80s. They started the first Liaden story
in 1984 and have published more than a dozen novels and several
dozen short works in that series alone.

Along the way they've become fan favorites
at SF conventions from California, USA to Fredericton, Canada, with
Guest of Honor and Special Guest appearances at PenguiCon, COSine,
AlbaCon, Trinoc*con, ConDuit, MarsCon, ShevaCon, BaltiCon,
PortConMaine, SiliCon, Second Life Library, and elsewhere.

They count Baen, Del Rey,
Meisha Merlin, Ace Books, Phobos, and Buzzy Multimedia among their
English language publishers and have several foreign language
publishers as well. Their short fiction, written both jointly and
singly, has appeared in
Absolute
Magnitude
,
Catfantastic
,
Dreams of Decadence
,
Fantasy Book
,
Such a Pretty Face
,
3SF
, and
several incarnations of
Amazing
.

Lee and Miller's work has
enjoyed a number of award nominations, with
Scout's Progress
being selected for
the Prism Award for Best Futuristic Romance of 2001 and
Local Custom
finishing
second for the same award.
Local
Custom
was published by Buzzy Multimedia
as an audio book read by Michael Shanks, Stargate's Daniel.
Balance of Trade
appeared in hardcover in February 2004 and hit Amazon.com and
Locus genre bestseller lists before going on to win the Hal Clement
Award as Best YA Science Fiction for the year.

Their most recent Liaden
novel is
Mouse and Dragon
(sequel to Scout's Progress), published in summer
of 2010, with
Ghost Ship
due August in 2011 by Baen. Baen is also
reprinting the original ten Liaden novels in four omnibus editions
and has contracted with the authors for three additional Liaden
novels due in 2012.

Steve was Founding Curator of Science
Fiction for the University of Maryland's SF Research Collection as
well as Vice Chair of the Baltimore in 80 WorldCon bid, while
Sharon has been Executive Director, Vice President, and President
of the Science Fiction Writers of America; together they were BPLAN
Virtuals, an ebook publisher in the late 1980s. These backgrounds
give them a unique perspective on the science fiction field.