The Bright Black Sea (127 page)

'It not a matter of being empress. I will not let the
killers of my parents, and grandparents go unchallenged. That is
how I think. Who I am. Perhaps because I'm a creature of the Pela.
And you're not. Go.'

I'd a darting sense of deja vu. The wyrm weather
dream – not the same, and yet uncanny.... What could I do, but let
her go? 'Perhaps you're right, though I'm only saying that because
I want us to part friends.'

'You're saying it because you know I'm right.'

'Yes, you're always right,' I said, and my five
hundred generations of St Bleyth sanctimonious pirates, prompted me
to step close and draw her, unresistingly, closer give her a kiss.
As in the dream. She returned it briefly with a little tenderness,
but no passion.

'I'm glad that's settled,' She said, firmly pushing
me away, 'About always being right.' Then drawing a small drive
token from her jacket pocket she placed it in my hand. 'This
contains all the documentation and authorizations necessary to
transfer the ownership of the
Starry Shore
and its assets to
a new holding company with you and all my old shipmates as
shareholders.'

I stared at her. 'Why?'

'Neb! Do you never learn? Because I want to. I'll
never need it again. It's the Cloud Throne or death for me.'

'Make that the Cloud Throne or an empire of your
own.'

She sighed. 'Please, just go, Wil. Take this and get
back to the Unity and your proper life.'

I wasn't going to change her mind, so I took the
drive and simply said, 'Thank you.'

'And here's the key to the pilot bot that will take
the ship back to Ravin. Uncle Hawk says that it's only programed to
take you back. It won't lead you here ever again', she said,
handing me a second drive.

'Right.'

'I want you off within two watches. We'll be moving
the
Indomitable
and the
Raven
off the island, just in
case your assassin did have a radio transmitter with her. Signal me
when you're ready to sail and I'll come over to say my
goodbyes.'

'Right.'

'And, a final word of warning,' she said gravely.
'Uncle Hawk wanted me to emphasize that you and the gang must never
breathe a word of what you've seen here. Should anyone talk,
they'll be tracked down and killed no matter who's on the Cloud
Throne. It's that stark. It's a matter that transcends any
differences. Don't let anyone forget that.'

'I've made that all very clear, and will continue to
do so. Trust me.'

'If I could, you might not be leaving,' she
replied.

Tenry was waiting for me when I came out. 'Come
along, Captain Roynay. I'll introduce you your first mate. And
congratulations, Ten,' I added shaking his hand.

He was watching me closely. 'You're relieved, aren't
you?'

'Well, Ten, I know you can do what needs to be done
better than I. When this Neb-doomed enterprise is about to blow up,
as it certainly will – and you know that as well as I do – you and
Vyn need to get Talley, and Glen Colin aboard the
Raven
and
clear out – all the way back to the Nine Stars would be my choice,
but I'll leave that up to you. Be sure to include Glen Colin, since
he alone can pilot you home. We're unlikely ever to cross orbits
again, but I'll be able to sleep at night knowing you're on
watch.'

'I will do what I can, Wil.'

'Remember what even this cautious fellow had to do on
Lontria. You may well have to do the same thing here.'

'Ah, I seem to remember that you ordered Vyn and me
to do it.'

'Exactly. So I know you can do it here as well. Just
don't wait until it's too late.'

I was stowing my gear into my two large ship-bags
when I noticed Tri'n watching me from the doorway, several hours
later.

'Tenry's a good man,' I said to her. 'He spent fifty
commissions in the Unity's Patrol. He knows how a naval ship
operates. He's shrewd and as brave as they come. You'll like
him.'

'I liked you, Captain.' she said simply. 'Good
hunting.'

'Thanks. Good hunting, Tri'n. And take care, don't do
anything I wouldn't do.'

She may've smiled ever so slightly.

Glen Colin stopped by shortly afterwards, as
well.

'Ah, just the fellow I wanted to have a word with,' I
said, seeing him.

'And what word would that be, Cap'n?'

'As my favorite ghost, Glen, I'd hope that when the
time comes and your special talents are telling you that you're
getting very near a familiar place – yet another disaster
engineered by Prince Imvoy – you'll find a reason to be aboard the
old
Raven
.'

'And why would I do that?'

'How long will your supply of Dew of Dugan last?'

He grinned. 'You do know how to make a compelling
case, Cap'n. I'll keep it in mind.'

'I'd appreciate it. And don't be a stranger,' I said.
'You know where to find us.'

'Aye, Cap'n, I do. Perhaps I'll drop by for a yarn or
two.'

I met Min just outside the access tube to the long
boat. She'd just finished saying her final farewells to her old
shipmates who were now packed into the longboat for the journey
back to the ship and home. We stood in silence for a long
moment.

'Sorry, Wil. Take care of my ship. Fair orbits,' she
said quietly.

I shrugged. 'No doubt for the best. Nothing more need
to be said.' And I took her hand. 'Be very careful, Talley. I hope
you find what you're seeking. It was good knowing you, and loving
you, a little.'

She was having none of that. 'Goodbye Captain.' And
with a nod, started down the long passageway to the engine room
airlock, to where the scout boat was waiting for her.

'Good luck, Talley, and don't do anything I wouldn't
do!'

She gave a dismissive wave without looking back.

I sent what little luck I had left with her.

We slowly left the island behind and set our course
for the ship. I had put out a signal for Botts once I learned we
were to sail. It promptly replied that the talon-hawk horde had
delayed his return, but it was close at hand and would join us
shortly. We moved out of sight of Redoubt island, and waited for it
to catch up and set out for the ship and the Neb. No one had much
to say about my dismissal, at least in my hearing. I'd no regrets,
knowing that Vynnia and Tenry would look after Min and far more
effectively than I could've. I didn't envy them.

01

Quarters were tight in the longboat, but we were all
old shipmates and had plenty to talk about during the two day trip
with Botts at the helm. As I mentioned, nothing was said, but
clearly no one was surprised that I was sent packing. The
handwriting had been on the wall as soon as I put that dart into
Vinden.

On the way back I disclosed Min's generous gesture of
turning the
Starry Shore
over to us. She'd given me a 1/12th
share of the ship and 2/12th of its assets. A fortune. She'd
divided the remaining assets and balance of the ship into equal
shares for the current crew, along with Myes and Rafe. It was a
fortune for everyone, especially for the younger members of the
crew. There were drifteer traders available that could be had for
their share when they felt like striking out on their own. So
between Min's gift and Riv's daffa brandy, everyone was in a pretty
jolly mood, save old Cap'n Wil. Though I tried to hide my regrets
and worries, I didn't fool anyone. We'd been shipmates far too long
for that to lift.

Command of the
Rift Raven
would've suited me
just fine. With it, I would've been able to keep my promise and
contribute to Min's cause – however forlorn it turns out to be –
and in a manner I was best suited for. While, at the same time, be
in a position to aid Min, Vynnia and Tenry, in the inevitable
escape when the countercoup hit the rocks. However, if I'd not been
on the flagship or Cin had not hesitated when she saw me, as I
believe she did, allowing me a second to draw my sissy, I was
pretty certain there'd be no counter-revolution to aid. Cin was a
second or two away from completing her Honor Mission when my lucky
darts put an end to it.

I'm fooling myself even to think that. I'll not fool
you. It was what I did after I had thwarted Cin's attempt that
ended my usefulness to Min. Darting Vinden, even if I
underestimated his standing in the movement, was simply not going
to be tolerated. It couldn't be overlooked. And the summary
execution of Cin would likely not to have mattered. My objections
were no doubt viewed as whimsical, romantic or simply unrealistic,
given the nature of the conflict. And my darting of Vinden was
foolhardy, no matter how right it seemed in the moment. Still, I
couldn't think I should have done anything differently, which is
small comfort. Nothing in the end had turned out right.

02

We' spent two days going over the
Starry Shore
making her ready to sail for home. As we were finishing up I asked
Botts to step around to my office at its convenience for a confab.
I was playing with the pilot bot key at my desk when it appeared in
the door.

'Captain?'

'Do we need this?' I asked, as I tossed the pilot bot
key back and forth in my hands. 'Can you pilot us back to the Neb,
given the Directorate's estimation of our location?'

'How important is travel time?'

'Not as important as getting back to the Neb.
Somehow, Botts, I find myself looking every gift horse from Hawker
Vinden in the mouth. I don't trust him, and I don't trust his pilot
bot, at least not without him aboard, So, that being the case, I'm
wondering if you could use the estimated position you and the
Directorate came up with to find our way back the known Nebula. I
realize it will take longer, but it will take longer in any case
since we're left with less than half our fuel. But I'd sleep a lot
sounder knowing you were our pilot, and if we take most of the
passage in our sleeper-pods, the duration, if reasonable, would not
matter much. Since we're all owners now, I don't have to worry
about crew salaries.'

'First off, I can not say for certainty which
direction leads back to the Unity, so we'd be starting blindly. I
don't know how long it would take to emerge from this black reef
and reach a position where we could locate ourselves in the Nebula.
And I could not guarantee that we wouldn't be heading away from our
desired destination. Those two unknowns would force me to be very
conservative with our fuel, and thus make a long passage of this
first leg of our journey. After determining our position, we might
still find ourselves in a position where we would have to traverse
reefs without charts. There were a series of maneuvers during the
passage that would seem to indicate that we were traversing a reef
or two, so I think this would be very likely. While none of this
rules out my piloting the ship home, it makes it likely that the
voyage would take at least say, six years or more, to get back to
the Neb.'

'Would you be willing to pilot us? I'd rotate a
minimum crew to keep you company, knowing how social you are.'

'Piloting a ship is what I was made to do, Captain. I
would welcome the opportunity.'

'Right. I think we'll go that route. Still, I'll
sleep on it. I don't want to let my dislike of Vinden unduly
influence my actions, but I don't have a good feeling about giving
Vinden's pilot bot absolute control of my ship. Am I being
unreasonable, Botts?'

It considered my question for a moment. 'Based on my
long service with Villain Viseor, his associates, and rivals, I
would say that some humans have primordial drives and a certain
disregard for ethics that, if I were asked to put my fate in their
hands, I would pause to consider what exactly their motives might
be before I committed myself.'

'Exactly.'

03

I decided to have Botts pilot us home, to everyone's
relief, I think. Better the robot you know... Riv had the engineer
console, Elana, the pilot's chair and Kie, the lookout. A
formality, of course, because Botts would be taking us out. Molaye,
Botts and I completed the bridge contingent, lounging in the
auxiliary station chairs behind the main console. We were waiting
for Riv and Lilm to complete their final pre-burn run through of
their engines. Botts could've done it himself, but engineers are
pretty touchy about their charges, so we let them go about their
work.

'My last voyage, Molaye. There's a cha plantation in
the clouds waiting for me somewhere at the end of it,' I said with
a sigh. 'Blue seas fading into the haze, green peaks in the clouds.
A rocket boat in the shed, for when I get restless... Ah, like
Vinden, I'm almost ready to sleep this passage away.'

'Right,' said Molaye, rolling her eyes. 'Never fear,
we'll talk you out of that. You've plenty of years to grow cha in
your old age.'

'You've thought me pretty ancient right from the
beginning – a decade ago. I'm old enough to plant cha and you're
ancient enough to be Captain Merlun.'

'We'll see,' she replied with a happy laugh, no doubt
repeating “Captain Merlun” silently in her head.

'Engines are ready, Skipper,' said Riv.

'Right. Let's get it underway. 'She's all yours,
Botts. Take us home. Set a course for Carivon – as soon as you can
find out where in the Neb we are.'

Where in the Nebula we would actually go after
Carivon, had been a subject of debate since we left the Pela, and
wasn't resolved. Still, not knowing what our status would be with
both Cimmadar and St Bleyth when we arrived, it seemed foolhardy to
just blunder back into the situation we'd been in before we sailed
for the Tenth Star. We'd arrive in Carivon orbit, a new ship with
new names again. Kie and Botts would fix things with the Unity and
Guild on Carivon and , perhaps, we'd go... But, I suppose, those
will be Captain Merlun's decisions.