The Bright Black Sea (35 page)

I was weary enough to fall right asleep, and had to
be dragged awake two hours later. I made a cup of cha for myself
and radioed Min directly to brief her on the night's developments.
She sounded delighted and eager to get involved in the process. I
arranged for Molaye to pick her up at the Bramble Vale space boat
field in an hour and greeted her on the landing stage when she
arrived on board.

'Welcome aboard,' I said as she swung out of the
gig's hatch landing on the gangplank.

She was dressed in her casual Lontria style, though
with hints of being rushed in the process.

'Good work, Captain.' she said taking my hand and
patting the heads of the hounds at my side. 'Excellent, in fact.
I'll study the details while I put myself together. I still have
quarters aboard, don't I?' she added as she hurried on.

'Of course,' I said and followed her to the access
well. 'I've not abandoned hope. I'll be in my office and we can go
over everything when you're ready.'

She merely nodded. I left her to work on our
proposals in my office.

She appeared half an hour later as I had known her on
Calissant, perfectly turned out in blacks and whites and with her
long slim unapologetic mech-legs, striking and enigmatic.

'You look more like yourself, Min,' I said, looking
up from the desktop.

'You don't like my new look?' she asked archly, but
without a real edge.

'Nice, as a costume, or a disguise. But this is you.
Or at least how I think of you,' which may have been more than I
needed to say, so I hurried on, 'Grab a chair and I'll fill you in
on all the details, since I hope you'll take the lead again. Can I
offer you a cup of cha?'

She nodded and called up the proposal on the desk,
while I made cha. As with the Tiladore charter, we settled down and
hammered out our proposal and sales pitch with Vynnia joining us
half an hour later to help fine tune and set out our negotiating
limits.

We were at Isleta Interstellar's offices as they
opened for business. The first people we dealt with were unaware of
the situation – which had me wondering if I'd made a fool of us on
a companion's gossip? We persisted and word of our mission
eventually reached the people in the clearsteel offices who were
aware of the situation. Min presented our proposal and arrangements
were made to inspect the ship while they verified the
Lost
Star
's fifty year Guild record of trading in the system. We
still had to wait until the following day for their final decision
but they signaled us early to come down and sign a contract.
Arrangements were worked out for loading to commence in two days as
they worked to feverishly get the boats ready for shipment.

02

Min sat next to me, anchored to one of my office
chairs sipping hot cha from the mug's cover straw.

'We did it again,' I remarked carefully.'We make a
good team.'

'Yes, we do,' she replied absently.

'You must admit I've not tried to talk you into
changing your mind. 'Vyn will be furious.'

'I'm sorry about Vyn,' she replied again absently,
this time feigned.

'You know I'd like you onboard. You know I think that
it would be the wisest course no matter what you intend to pursue
in the future.'

'Yes, Captain.'

'You wouldn't consider changing your mind?'

'No, Captain,' she replied softly without looking at
me. 'You know the reason – that hasn't changed.'

'You know that Vyn and Ten won't stay without
you.'

She shrugged. 'I've not abandoned hope.'

I looked at her trying to decide just what to say. 'I
can't help thinking that your uncle would want you aboard for many
reasons, as would your parents. This was their ship, their haven.
This should be your first step on a long journey. A safe haven and
a chance to learn a little more... You can go on alone once we get
to Aticor or beyond. It will save time, credits, and make you far
better prepared.'

She gave me a look. 'I'm on to that ploy, Wil.
Someday I'll take charge of my ship, but not before I'm ready. Not
before I've done what I need to do.'

I shrugged. 'Right. You're the boss. I just promised
Vyn I'd try one last time. I'll keep you informed of anything we
turn up from the ship's log. It's rather late in the day to give
you a new identity now, but I'm certain Rafe can arrange it if
necessary. Be very very careful. And please, take Vyn and Ten along
with you. Compromise just this once. They need to feel like they're
protecting you. Don't leave them. Take them for my sake as well.
I'll have enough to worry about without having to worry about you
too.'

She shrugged and looked away. 'Don't worry about
me.'

'Right.' And left it at that. More words would change
nothing.

After she finished her cha, she went to change back
into the Lontria Min and I arranged for Vynnia to run her down in
the gig, just to give Vyn one last chance to change Min's mind.

As we said goodbye on the landing stage, I asked,
'Should I send down your kit?'

She shook her head No. 'Put them in the strong room
with the rest of the remnants. I'll be back to pick them up
someday.'

'Not even your long mech-legs?'

'I'll have new legs grown on one of the First Worlds
if I get to one. I can hardly get close to where I need to go as I
am now. I'm too well known like this.'

I nodded. 'I'm sure you're right. And keep the
Ghost
aboard as well?'

'Yes, for now. Feel free to use her if you need to.
Right. Goodbye, Captain. Fair orbits. We'll be in touch. And if you
find you've time, we can get together to toast our past and future
successes before you sail.'

'Once I turn her over to Riv for fueling, I'll have
at least a day free. I'll be in touch when I know more,' I
promised.

'Right. Then I'll let you get back to work..'

'Fair orbits,' I replied and watched her swing into
the gig and returned to work.

03

We spent the rest of the day dismantling and moving
the bulkhead between holds 2 & 3 forward to make the hold large
enough to accommodate the four boats and the containers containing
their spare parts and optional weapons.

They had the first boat in its open framed crate
lifted up by a tug to the
ship
two days
later and we began the delicate work of stowing the large
container. We spent eight hours stowing the first boat using the
ship's two cranes and robots in the holds. The container docks were
movable, so all had to be precisely aligned to properly secure the
large container to the array of locks on the hold deck. It was
slow, precise, nerve wracking work for Molaye, Vynnia, Illy and I.
Fortunately the shipping containers increased the boat's dimensions
by only a meter, so we'd be able to stow the four boats 2x2 filling
all of the enlarged hold no. 3. The auxiliary boxes were stowed in
the shortened no. 2 hold leaving no.1 to for the 36 auxiliary fuel
tanks we'd need to see us to Zilantre on time and with a prudent
reserve. The remaining three boats and the auxiliary containers
took another six days to load. I slept whenever I could between the
arrival of the boats, as did everyone but the watch. Late on the
26th day of our stay in Sanre-tay, the Isleta shipping crew signed
off and we closed the hatches and moved the ship out to the fueling
station.

The chief engineer is in charge of fueling, so I
turned the ship over to Riv, and found my hammock. Having to load
and rig the fuel system for the auxiliary fuel tanks in the no. 1
hold, meant that the whole fueling process would take at least 24
hours. We planned to sail within hours after we completed fueling.
All I wanted to do now was to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be
another trying day.

01

I awoke nine hours later, rested and ruthless. It was
several hours before sunrise in PortCity so the ship was in its
dim-lit night mode. I could hear the subtle thumps as the fueling
crew installed the extra fuel tanks in hold no.1. That was the
engineers' and the fueling crew's concern, so I stayed clear and
brewed a mug of cha. I'd decisions to make, unfortunately. The
ancient warning about being careful what you wish for since it
might come true had blindsided me. When I'd arrived in Sanre-tay
anchorage, I'd hoped to be in the exact position I was in today and
now I regret it. I'd choices I didn't care to make. Either Min, Vyn
and Ten were naive, which I thought unlikely, careless, or simply
thought I was too lazy, clueless or gutless to be concerned. So I'd
choices.

Min didn't need me to look after her. And she'd made
it clear she didn't want me to. But I'd a melted glob of gold that
said I'd a stake in the game. Where did that leave me? Did I have a
strong enough claim and sense of duty to ignore her clear wishes?
And well, would it matter? I had this sense that her quest wasn't
going to end well no matter what I did. Ending it now – for me – by
saying goodbye, good luck, would leave me feeling very bad – I
could sense that – but I'd have decades to get over it. On the
other hand, playing Captain Brilliant Pax and taking a hand in the
game would likely make no difference in the outcome – for I wasn't
Captain Pax. In the end I'd likely be feeling a whole lot worse,
though for a much shorter span of time.

I probably needed something stronger than cha, but I
sucked a slug down anyway and decided to be ruthless. Or gutless.
Could be seen either way. I'd play it her way. She'd go it alone.
And to dull the sense that I was taking the easy, gutless way out,
I'd say goodbye and good luck to her face. Today would end it.

As for Tenry and Vynnia, if they could manage to tag
along with Min, there'd be no question. But I doubted they'd swing
it and their services would be lost to both of us. On the other
hand, arriving with a cargo in Zilantre orbit rather than hollow
and begging for work, would likely make finding work that wouldn't
involve the deep drifts a lot easier. With any luck, we'd be able
to slip into the Aticor interplanetary trade in a year or two so
their services would not be quite as necessary. It was the
possibility of using the ship for Min's quest, with deep drift work
and iffy dealings, that made them very valuable. In short, letting
Min go her own way, made them replaceable. I'd see if Kan Kantis
would consider abandoning his prospects with the Distant Star Line
for a few years, to take the first mate's berth. Add a pilot with
Aticor experience and we'd be set. I'd leave them to follow Min, if
they could.

I drained my mug, Min goes on her quest alone. Vynnia
and Ten choose their course and if necessary, I sign on two pilots
and sail for Zilantre. Done. Yah, gutless.

02

After a quick meal from the bistro's selection, I
called down to & Kin's to order the two drones Vynnia had
picked out, arranging to have them delivered once we'd finished
refueling. I'd forgotten all about them until Vynnia reminded me
after we'd finished loading our cargo. We'd need them now that we
had a deadline to meet.

I sent Leafa a broker's commission on the Isleta
charter. Litang of the
Lost Star
was not one to forget
favors. I hoped to be back to Azminn sooner or later and I wanted
that known. Earlier I'd paid Dyn back and still had enough credits
for a second quarter box of trade goods. I needed to go down to
make those arrangements. Since you can't fly boats off the ship
during refueling, I signaled Kan to meet me at the fueling
station's landing stage for a lift down to PortCity. I decided
against saying anything to him about a possible berth until I knew
how things played out, so we exchanged our final 'fair orbits', as
this was his last fare of his
day
.

It was still pre-dawn in PortCity like when we'd
first arrived, but many places operate around the clock so by
mid-morning I finished my rounds of suppliers and had arranged
delivery to the ship. I called Min to tell her I was on my way for
final instructions, warning her I'd take precautions, so I'd call
again when I arrived in Bramble Vale. We'd have lunch there.

An hour later it felt all wrong. Very wrong. My
resolve faded as my unease grew. I may be a coward, but this dread
seemed more than a simple reluctance to see Min one last time.
Rather it was the dawning realization that I was putting her in
danger. I took precautions and didn't think I was being followed,
but my travels might be traced remotely. Though the alarm of the
race track incident had faded, no one had visited Min since . I
realized I shouldn't be taking the chance now, with her sole
refuge, sailing in hours.

I was still wrestling with my fears when the
levatrain slowed and passed though the airlock to glide to a stop.
The doors opened to the Bramble Vale platform. I stared at them
clinging to the armrests of my seat, unable to distinguish prudence
from cowardice. After the longest pause, the doors slid closed and
the train began to move. I closed my eyes and waited for my
reaction.

In the darkness of the tube, my breath came easier
and dread faded. I traveled two stations further, disembarked, and
finding myself in a dissenting crater, opted to remain on the
platform and take the next levatrain on to the next Unity Standard
community and catch a bum boat back to the ship. Dissenting
communities can be rather iffy. And they can be very iffy. An old
spaceer
claimed
there's a community on Lontria where you can
be publicly flogged for failing to stand on your left foot – like a
stork – when a Phoenix Official of the Green Rank passes you on the
street and flogged for standing on your left foot, if the Phoenix
Official is of the Blue Rank, who, you see, requires you to stand
on your right foot. In any event, dissenting craters are best
avoided by casual travelers.