The Bright Black Sea (11 page)

'I didn't do a Neb blasted thing. They just turned it
over to me before I even asked. Makes me feel silly.'

'Must be the last two years you've spent amongst the
Taoists of Kimsai, You've mastered their secret of effortless
efforts.'

She sighed. 'I must have learned that effortlessly
too, because I don't recall even trying to learn it... But that's
not all my news. An hour ago, Phylea confirmed that the BlueStar
Line is abandoning Calissant, leaving the Tiladore Commission in
the lurch. We contacted them straight away. They're rather frantic
to find a replacement to keep the project on schedule. I told them
I had a suitable ship available for charter, though they might want
to deal with a broker to assure themselves of the best terms. That
didn't seem to register, they sent over their manifest and
requirements almost before the conversation ended. I suspect our
call was a life line to them.'

'Will they go without other bids?'

'Who knows? They may well calm down by tomorrow and
put it out for bids.'

'If so, what are our prospects? There's an anchorage
of idle ships in orbit.'

'Not really, not operating ones. Working ships don't
linger, they take whatever cargo's available and push on. Our
database suggests there may be just half a dozen tramps in orbit or
inbound that could meet the Commission's time table.'

'Who are we looking at?'

'The
Indus
and
Lyra
, Distant Star Line,
Anna Li
, a Circle Star Line tramp,
Scarlet Sun
, a
Rigtania Express, and two Azminn Worlds Express ships, the
Sanre-tay Prime
and
Laslion Alpha
. There are also
assorted Calissant tramps in orbit, but none are manned at the
present. Anything to add from your experience?'

'Only that Captain Noy of the Lyra, is highly
regarded. Distant Star gives their captains a very free hand in
finding cargo, and Noy of the
Lyra
is their best,' I said,
pausing to consider what I wanted to say next.

'However, tramp captains are leery of passengers –
should anything go wrong and passengers lost, it's likely the end
of your career and maybe the company's as well. We leave that trade
to the liners and the box tourist ships. I suspect even Noy would
defer the decisions about a three thousand immigrant cargo to the
Distant Star Line front office, and what they decide will likely
depend, on how bad they want those credits.'

'But you don't have a problem carrying three thousand
immigrants?' Min asked, watching me closely.

I shrugged. 'Candidly, I'd not be too heartbroken if
we don't get the charter. Still, keeping the
Lost Star
in
service is our prime priority so I'd not object, cargo's cargo. We
can handle it. It's merely the consequences of a mishap that give
me pause.'

I was, indeed, less enthusiastic than when it was
merely a rock in the drift. The risks were slight, but meteors can
penetrate holds, container environmental units occasionally fail
and fires or mechanical malfunctions can deprive ships of power for
days, Rare, but somewhere in the space ways of Nine Star Nebula
they likely happen on a daily basis. Bad business for regular
cargo, but potential tragedies when it involves passengers. And at
the back of my mind, there was always the slight risk of pirates as
well. For these reasons Miccall never carried passengers,
period.

'What about the freight lines? I'd say we'd have to
worry more about them than any tramp,' I said, perhaps too
hopefully.

'Only two possible in the time frame, the Z-line
Azimuth
, leaving on the third of SecondSpring, and a
Tri-Star Packet
Rigtania
on 28 FirstSpring. Neither, of
course, serves Tiladore direct. Times being what they are, they
might be tempted to alter their run to call on Tiladore for 80
containers since it's not too far out of their usual track. More
likely they'd just offer to arrange transhipment from Sanre-tay. We
should be able to under bid them, their business departments are
unlikely to discount their standard passenger fare even for a three
thousand person package.'

'Then we have the inside orbit.'

'I believe so, and I intend to take advantage of it,'
she replied. 'Tiladore's first priority is getting their immigrants
off on schedule, so I want to make a prompt, competent impression
by getting our bid to them or their broker tomorrow morning.'

'Right, let's jump up to the chart room and see what
we can work up,' I replied, seeing which way the drift was
flowing.

As the dogs raced us up the access well, she said,
'I'm thinking we'll offer several price points and transit times,
to cover us in response to any competing bids... Failing to land
this contract, my only real alternative is sending it empty to
Sanre-tay at a loss.'

'A minimal one if we take our time in transit, but
let's see how the figures work out.'

We swung out onto the bridge deck, Astro and Orbit
waiting for us with wide grins.

The dogs followed us to the chartroom and settled
quietly into the corner so I let them be. Min and I anchored
ourselves along side the large chart table and turned on the larger
chart screen on the forward bulkhead as well. I called up the
positions of Calissant and Tiladore and adjusted them for the
scheduled departure day while Min downloaded the manifest
information.

Tiladore lays nearly opposite Calissant in the Azminn
system. The most direct course would plunge us deep into the sun's
gravitational well and use it to fling us back out again. How close
we wanted to get to Azminn and how we wanted to fly around it had
to be determined. Tiladore, however, is only a planet away from
Sanre-tay and Sanre-tay was the first planet of call for Min's
former ship, Aurora so I had an an old hand on cross system
navigation next to me.

'I'm wondering if you'll work up the course options
while I balance the ship and come up with the performance curve,' I
suggested, adding, 'You're the expert here on cross system
navigation. I've spent my entire career sailing the planetary
belt.'

She sighed. 'Really, Captain. I'd think a cross
system plot not be beyond your powers as a pilot.'

'I'd like to believe so. But why should I waste your
time by running sims on all the possible courses when I have an
expert beside me who can lay down the most likely course with her
eyes closed? Besides, I'll still need to run the manifest data
myself. If we split the tasks we'll save time. I believe in
efficiency.'

'Point taken. I don't propose to spend the night
watching you reinvent cross system navigation. Let's see if there's
a clear optimal orbit...'she said mostly to herself and leaning
over the table, began laying out the course.

While she explored alternative courses, I entered the
manifest data to calculate cargo weight, and using the ship's
thrust and burn rates to determined the fuel cost profile. I added
labor, insurance and depreciation cost to the various courses that
Min worked up. Working with quiet professionalism, we combined our
data to determine the optimal courses for three variations of speed
and prices for our proposal.

I studied her going over the formal proposals one
last time. It had dawned on me that with the Ministry of Death
signing off, she now had the power to decide my status. With
prospects of sailing one way or another, my status needed to be
determined, soon. Turning it over in my mind, I saw no advantage of
letting it ride. I didn't think I'd be in better grace with her any
time soon.

'This may not be the best time to bring this up,' I
began as she downloaded the proposal to her com link. 'but with
events now moving fast, I'm wondering if I'm advising you as
captain or as first mate?'

'What would be the difference?' she asked after a
slight pause and a sidelong glance.

'As first mate, I'd keep all my opinions to a simple,
Yes, ma'am I agree.'

'And as captain?'

'Well, as captain, I'd say I agree if I actually
agreed or If you think so, ma'am, if I thought you wildly off
course,' I replied, adding, 'I don't need an answer this moment,
but with the fate of the
Lost Star
seemingly settled and the
prospect of a charter looming, operational decisions will soon have
to be made and I am wondering if I need to concern myself with them
or not...'

'Fair enough,' she said and paused. 'I don't know how
much leeway the Ministry is prepared to give me. I'd likely still
need to consult with them before replacing a captain, and make a
case for doing it. I'd have a hard time making that case seeing
that you've been captain for six months with a profitable voyage to
your credit. Still, whether or not they care, the fact is that
neither they nor I have any reason to replace you, based on your
performance. So the real question is, do you wish to continue on as
captain? I seem to recall some hesitation on your part. I believe
it's up to you to decide, Captain, not me.'

I found, to my surprise, I'd no doubt what I
wanted.

'Despite my earlier misgivings, I seem to have rather
slipped into the role. So, if you're content to allow me the
choice, I'd be happy and grateful to continue on as captain,' I
replied with a surprising amount of happiness seeping in. The
worries would, I'm sure, return, but in that moment, it was only
happiness.

'Fair enough, Captain. I'm certain your shipmates
will approve as well, so we'll put that matter to rest. Now about
our proposals...'

No hint of her opinion, but still, with that rather
off handed remark, I became Captain of the
Lost Star
.

I savored my appointment. So what if it seemed mostly
due to Min's inability to find a plausible excuse to sack me than
anything else? It was a compliment, really. You serve at the whim
of the owner, give them a reason to send you down and they will. I
hadn't given her one.

With our fate seemingly settled, I'd want to re-sign
the gang and if we landed the charter, we'd need a third pilot as
well, since the contract would certainly require a full
Guild-standard staffing level and that meant three full duty
pilots.

'I say, Min,' I began, intending to ask her when I
could re-sign the gang when it struck me that I'd my third pilot in
the chart room.

'Yes?' she asked glancing my way.

I gave it only a second's thought. Neb may care, it
felt like fate. 'Rockets Away,' I muttered to myself, 'How'd you
like to follow your dream and run off to space as a tramp ship
pilot? I'm a pilot short.'

She glared, darkly. 'No, and I don't find it
funny.'

There was indeed, no humor in her glare, but I wasn't
about to be intimidated.

'I'm serious. We'll need a third pilot, assuming
Molaye gets her ticket and you're the ideal choice – a born pilot,
excellent navigator and an old shipmate who'd fit right in.'

And to emphasize my point, I called the Guild
contract form to the surface of the chart room table. 'I have the
form right here...'

'I'm not free.' she said, sharply. 'I've a business
to run, part of which involves keeping you employed. You may not
consider it much of a job, but you'd be on the beach if I shared
that attitude.'

'Oh, I know it's essential, it's just not for you.
Not now. Someday, maybe, but not now. You've faced your terrible
losses and haven't flinched. You've stepped up to your
responsibilities, but...' I paused to consider what I wanted to say
next.

She just watched me, nothing I'd said had softened
her sharp, angry glare.

'But it would be a shame to compound that price by
sacrificing your youth to the tragedy as well.'

'That price has already been paid. My course is set.
I'm no longer a young girl dreaming. I'll not run off and abandon
my parents' work of fifty years, especially in these times. We're
done here.'

I'm not more superstitious than the next spaceer and
I've never seen a ghost aboard the
Lost Star
, but I'd a
feeling in my bones that if I ever did meet the ghosts of Captain
Vinden or the Mins I'd want to say to them that I tried to get
Tallith Min to follow her old dream. She was glaring laser knives
at me, but since she'd all but admitted that she couldn't fire me,
I was undeterred.

'The Nine Stars have aligned to put you in a position
to follow your dreams – and aboard your parents' fabled ship.
You're too young to find yourself in a downside office. I'm certain
even your parents would've wanted you to see something of the
Nebula before you settled into a downside office. Why you'll not
even be able to see the rockets go up once you move to your new
office.'

'The die is cast. It is too late to change it.'

'It's not too late. Kardea is extremely competent.
She's been running the operation for decades, so you needn't worry
how Min & Co will fare without you...'

'Thank you for that candid appreciation of the value
of my work...'

'Damn it, Min, you're a spaceer not a ship broker.
Let Kardea run it. She's a shipbroker. If it makes you feel guilty,
take her on as a partner in the firm. She's earned it. But sail
with us.'

'I'll not shirk my responsibilities, whether you
think me capable or not.' She rose from the stool and turned to go.
'It's getting late.'

'Tallith, wait.' I'd found my true course.
'Please?'

She glanced sharply back, as did the dogs, who'd
risen from their nap when she started to leave.

'We've been talking at cross purposes,' I began
slowly, giving the germ of an idea time to grow. 'You don't have to
choose between Min & Co and the
Lost Star
.'

'Really?' A word like a spoken knife edge.

'Yes. It's my understanding Kardea ran the
operational side of the business, finding the cargoes, drawing up
the contracts, looking after all the details of the business. Your
parents brought in, dealt with, and kept the firm's clients happy.
That's your role. You're the new face of Min & Co and you need
to get out and meet Min & Co's clients – all the ship captains,
agents, partners and shippers across the whole system. They'll
certainly want to meet you. They'll want to take your measure and
tell you what they think. There's only so much you can learn in
that office. You need to get out and meet your clients on their
home planets.