The Bright Black Sea (91 page)

'Yes and no?'

'We've called on Shantien often enough. Been there
several dozen times, but well, you never actually get closer than
100,000 kilometers to it.'

'Rather reclusive?'

'Aye, and they have enemies,' he said with a grin.
'so they don't take chances. Their jump fighters come out of
nowhere to check your identity. Scares the crap out of you, if
you're not expecting it. Once they clear you, they send their
lighters out to collect their boxes.'

Jump fighters.

'St Bleyth?'

'Ah, so you've heard of them...'

'Aye,' I admitted, with a sinking feeling. 'I've
heard of them.'

'Well, Shantien is nothing too threatening. As far as
I can make out, it's just a warehouse or some such thing. A modest
hollow asteroid, from the sensor reading. I think they use it
mostly as a receiving station for trade goods out of Amdia. They
never ship anything out, just receive boxes. Must send them on in
their own ships, but you'd not want to look too closely into that.
The fighter pilots don't say much, but the lighter jockeys are
friendly enough, though they don't talk about their monastery.'

'So they'll know you?'

'Aye. The Bird of Passage has made regular deliveries
since I was onboard. CTC and Guild ships don't care to call on
Shantien, so their boxes are usually passed along to drifteer
traders for delivery.'

'Ah, well, we're new and didn't know any
better...'

He grinned. 'Don't worry, there's nothing to it. As I
said, it's just a warehouse.'

Well, I did worry. But not too much.

Molaye didn't worry at all. 'If they didn't identify
us on Plyra, I doubt they'd do it now,' adding, 'What better proof
of our innocence than calling on one of their monasteries?'

'I suppose.'

'Dici and I will handle all the communications and
cargo work. He knows them and you're an almighty captain, so that
shouldn't raise any eyebrows.'

'I suppose.'

'And we have Botts,' she added.

'And we have Botts,' I admitted. 'Which is why my
hair hasn't turned white yet.'

Molaye leaned back, looked at the grey hair over my
ears and grinned, 'Right.'

I gave her a feeble grin right back.

We did have Botts. It had proven its worth in the
Despar Reef and I knew that a jump fighter's range would limit
their chances, so I figured we had a good chance of escaping even
if St Bleyth made our true identity. The real Botts was out and
about these days, keeping itself slightly more subdued around our
new crew members. Slightly. Botts was hard to suppress, and really,
I was already sure they could be trusted with its true
identity.

Our A class defense system gave us more of a warning
than Dici's drifteer trader's system, which allowed us to track
their approach. I had Botts stationed in the tech room and hooked
into the ship's system, ready to take control if needed. I stayed
in my office, letting Illy and Dici deal with them from the
bridge.

The pair of fighters approached within striking
distance before demanding our credentials, which we provided using
Dici on a vid broadcast. I figured seeing a familiar face should
smooth things along. As it turned out, they cleared us within a
minute, but escorted us inbound to the point where the lighters
rendezvoused with us. Dici and Molaye offloaded the dozen
containers we had for them in an four hours. I listened in on
Dici's banter with his old pals, the lighter pilots. Since he knew
nothing that would endanger us, I'd given him no guidelines. He
told his story about signing on, and they laughed about how we'd
taken on this cargo without know where it was going. Everything
went smoothly. Of course, if they intended to blow
us
to atoms, they'd want their boxes out of her before
they did, so that proved nothing...

But we sailed away with a cheery 'Fair Orbits' from
the lighter jockeys and put the chapter house astern. The jump
fighter's 'Fair Orbits' were a bit more curt, but they turned and
flashed astern as well. I let out a long breath.

A quick seven day run to Hendin Station, and inward,
Baidora bound, to Lyrina and on to Baidora orbit, 161 days after
our departure. Dici and Elana had, by , become comfortably
established members of the
Starry Shore
, and I registered
their apprenticeships with the Guild upon arrival and shared our
secrets, which they found exiting. Youth.

01

When I set out to record my experiences as the acting
captain of the
Lost Star
, I expected to write about the
shipboard life aboard an ordinary tramp freighter. The Neb had
other plans, and I find myself recording events that would put
those old spaceers and their outlandish yarns to shame. Which makes
it ironic that having finally settled into a stable orbit – even if
it's a drift one – I've recorded nothing in two years. Perhaps
within those outlandish stories I've accomplished what I set out to
do. And well, I probably shouldn't have even mentioned how ordinary
life has become. Naming names. But I guess its too late now, so I
might as well bring this account up to date.

We've heard nothing from Min. We don't send
radio-packets to Min & Co fearing St Bleyth might be intercept
them. Instead, at Botts' suggestion, we use the CreditBox to
communicate – attaching notes to small credit transfers to Min
& Co since these transactions are instantaneous, secure, and
untraceable. Using this method we gave Kardea a guarded account of
our predicament and asked her to contact our families to tell them
we were trading deep in the drifts and might be out of contact for
years. If and when Min needs to communicate with us, Kardea should
use this method as well. But, as I said, we've heard nothing from
her. I wasn't concerned – she was actually deep in the drifts and
unlikely to be in a position to send radio packets to the Unity.
Plus, I was enjoying the long leash.

Our first run out of Baidora proved to be the model
for our Amdia trade – Baidora outbound to Creylin, Dortag,
Shantien, Hendin, with occasional calls on half a dozen other drift
stations like Vilin's Rock, Wayzon's Reef, D'Jin Station, and the
Darc'ar Reef before returning to Baidora. Some of those drift
stations were the type that not only allowed Molaye to wear her
pirate piece but I was glad to have her alongside with her wearing
it. Most, however, were gateway stations to the deeper reefs and
drifts, served by CTC and Guild freight liners, and so they were
fairly Unity Standard, at least with the thin slice we dealt with.
We've settled into a groove very similar to our old Azminn round,
regular, modestly profitable, and unexciting, though we sail with
our anti-meteor missile magazines fully stocked with assorted
missiles, I have no trouble sleeping. Neb, we're delivering two
dozen boxes to St Bleyth's Shantien chapter house twice a year
these days, so I didn't worry (much) about them connecting us to
the
Lost Star
. If they ever do, I'd know.

Dici got his pilot's ticket after the second voyage
and Elana just passed her board exam yesterday, as did Kie as an
environmental engineer, so I've a fully qualified crew. Rafe, the
old rolling stone, has been content to stay on, in part, because
the drift stations we're calling on are hardly inviting, and in
part because he'd taken Kie on as his apprentice in his dark
digital arts.

With our new identities, our owner somewhere in the
drifts and unheard from,with Molaye now an extremely competent
first mate, and Botts, Elana and Dici firmly settled in, the
Lost Star
was a fading memory. We were the
Starry
Shore
.

02

I knew it – in naming names and saying how routine
our life had become, I tempted the Dark Neb. Never seem to learn.
Within hours of recording my brief update, our plans for a fifth
drift run changed. I received a signal from the shipping office of
the Numbia CTC.
Where we
available for an
express run to Bleak Rock? They needed a large, D-matter furnace
component delivered to their Bleak Rock foundry as soon as
possible. The name alone gave me pause. I called it up on the
charts as their transport agent gave me the particulars.

Bleak Rock lays on the edge of the Helgot drift, some
70 au outbound from Baidora. We'd sail up the rift between the
Myzar and Helgot drifts for three quarters of the way at
interstellar speeds, and step down to drift speed for the last
dozen aus. The whole passage would take some 130 to 150 days. I was
torn, Numbia's gratitude could do a lot for us... But I was
comfortably settled in our Hendin-Baidora circuit. However, the
charter terms, when the agent got around to them, proved too
lucrative to pass up – I've an owner somewhere in the drifts that I
was hired to serve – so five hours later we were unshipping our
hold dividers in order to fit the massive conveyor part into holds
3, 2, and part of 1. Three days later we were on our way to Bleak
Rock.

The first leg of our voyage, some 98 days of mostly
clear sailing at interstellar speeds, took us past the drift world
of Carivon, and up to the edge the finger of drift between the
Myzar and Helgot drifts. After Carivon we decelerated to make our
way through the thicker drift space of the Helgot Drift to Bleak
Rock Station, a drift station that lives up to its name. We made
Bleak Rock 121 days out of Baidora, well under our contract time,
thanks to Botts, though I didn't dare give it a free hand for fear
of making our passage too remarkable.

We didn't spend more time at Bleak Rock than
necessary to unload the conveyor and complete our documentation for
payment. Four days later we sailed for Carivon where I hoped to
pick up some boxes for some Amdia system world.

03

Nine days out of Bleak Rock, Elana pinged me as I
made my nightly rounds. 'We've a ship on radar, Skipper. A ship's
boat or prospector.'

We were in the middle of nowhere, so it seemed out of
place – you need to keep an eye on unusual things in the drifts.
'Keep a sharp watch. There might be more,' I said. 'I'll stop down
in a few minutes.'

I'd just stepped onto the bridge when Kie, at lookout
said, 'I'm picking up a signal from the contact requesting our id.
Shall I reply?'

'Aye, and request one as well,' I said. 'I'll be in
my office if they care to speak to us.'

'Contact, Captain,' said Kie in my com linked ear
speaker as I settled behind my desk.

'Switch it over,' I replied, calling up the com
screen on my desk.

A weary looking woman with drawn face appeared on the
screen.

'Captain?' she asked, staring closely at her
screen.

'Aye, Nives Wilcrofter, of the
Starry Shore
out of Baidora bound for Carivon,' I replied.

'A Guild ship. A tramp,' she remarked, no doubt
consulting her registry data base. 'Rather far from the usual
orbits for a Guild tramp.'

'Far from everywhere. But we tramps are shiftless
creatures. In this case we're returning from a delivery to Bleak
Rock Station. And you, Captain?' I asked, noting the star badge on
her cap.

She stared at me for a few seconds longer before
shrugging, 'I'm sorry Captain, but this is the drifts... My name is
Feyla Linnor, Captain of the Asterdronia Trading Company's
Azurete
.'

In a ship's boat, which would likely mean...

'As you likely surmise, my ship has been disabled and
I've had to abandon her at present. We're on our way to Carivon as
well. As you can see, we're making a rather leisurely passage of
it, since we started from initial lift. Will you honor Guild
obligations and take us aboard as shipwrecked spaceers?'

'Of course, Captain Linnor. We're at your service,' I
replied, and glancing at her boat's track displayed on the
viewpanel on the wall next to me, I added, 'Do you require my
longboat to collect you, or can you accelerate to rendezvous on
your own?'

'We've fuel to rendezvous, but only at the cost of
our ability to decel and make Carivon, so you understand my
caution. I need be certain of your welcome.'

'Aye, this is the drifts. But if your Guild records
are up to date, you'll see we've been operating out of Baidora for
the last several years. You're more than welcome to hitch a ride to
Carivon or on to the Amdia system, for that matter.'

She considered that for several moments, and nodded.
'Fair enough. I've only two of my crew awake to stand watch with
me, the rest are in sleeper-pods. If you are willing to take us
aboard, I'll bring us alongside.'

'I'll have cabins prepared for your arrival, Captain
Linnor.'

03

Fourteen hours later Illy, the hounds, and I, waited
on the port side landing stage to greet Captain Linnor and her
crew. Molaye, with her beloved pirate piece on her hip, was
stationed at the top of the access well along with Kie, Myes and
Riv – just in case. Botts was keeping watch as well, with all of
the ship's sensors. This was, after all, the drifts, though
everything checked out.

The dust-scarred hull of the longboat drifted into
the floodlights as the gangplank dock latched on to its airlock
with the slightest of tugs. A point in Captain Linnor's favor. As
the safety door slid open, I stepped out into the clearsteel
gangplank tube to greet our guests. Half a minute later, the
airlock hatch opened and Captain Linnor swung out landing on to the
gangplank with a magnetic click.

She'd taken the care to spruce up – a crisp company
uniform, her hair tied back under her cap and her face freshly
scrubbed, though that did not erase the tension lines etched in
it.

'Welcome aboard, Captain Linnor,' I said stepping
forward and taking her extended hand.

'It is good to be aboard, Captain Wilcrofter,' she
replied taking me in with her cool eyes, adding with a wary smile,
'Thank you for having us.'