Chapter 25 Sanre-tay Day 2 – Jann's Visit
I spent the second and third watch going over the ship's accounts with Illy, bringing all our accounts up to date and paying the crew their wages. After our mid-day meal, Vynnia and I worked out our downside leave schedule and our policies regarding guests.
Later, just as I was about to contact & Kin to get some prices for our planned updates, I was pinged by Kie, who had the harbor watch.
'Captain Jann on the com,' said Kie.
'Thanks, Kie.' I meditated on a long deep breath before I brought up the screen and opened the link.
'Captain Litang,' he said with a nod as his image appeared on the screen.
'Greetings, Captain Jann,' I replied and hurried on. 'Glad you've signaled. I was planning to signal you myself. I've just been going over a list of ships in the anchorage with the idea of inviting all of Captain Miccall's old friends, shipmates and rivals aboard for a meal and a few drinks to remember him. With so many ships here, we should have a good gathering, and I was hoping you'd help me round everyone up. I'd hate to overlook anyone.'
'I'd be glad to help. When are you thinking of holding this soiree?'
'Certainly before you sail. I've already counted seven or eight captains and old shipmates, so we should be able to get a nice gathering and I'd certainly want you in attendance.'
'I've a few days, Captain,' replied Jann gruffly, but without rancor. 'The boxes take their time accumulating these days.'
'Aye, so I gather.'
'The Neb knows what I'm to do with you,' he said with a sigh. 'We'll need to talk about that. But anyway, Congratulations, Wil. You owe me, and now I want to call in a little of that debt,' he added in his usual blunt style. I wasn't sure I owed him anything, but if he was willing to overlook our last meeting, I was too.
'I'm always happy to help you in any way. And well, just so you know – you needn't worry about us. Our new owners are sending us out of system in search of paying cargo. That should ease your mind some. So how can I repay my debt?' I added with a smile.
'Out of system, you say?' he gave me a measuring look. 'Drift work.'
'Aye.'
'Better you than me, though I did it in my youth and survived.'
'I hope to as well. Came with the berth. Still, I've an experienced crew that should see us through.'
He nodded. 'We'll talk more about that too. What I want is answers, and I think you have some.'
'42,' I said with a laugh, that being the ancient universal answer to everything.
Jann smiled slightly, 'I mean answers to what's going on with Tallith Min, Min & Co, the Ministry of Death and you.'
'I have some of those answers as well,' I admitted. 'But I'll warn you at lift, I'm not at liberty to answer every question, so don't blame me if I'm less than forthright. But I'm certain you know enough to find your way through the dust and debris without a chart.'
'Fair enough. Are you free to get together now?'
'If you're willing to put up with me yawning, I've not had time to adjust to CraterPort time. Bring your appetite, we'll have dinner afterward.'
'Oh, I'll keep you awake. Ten minutes. And I'd like to bring Seni Shir along, if that's acceptable.'
'Of course, love to see Seni again. I'll meet you at the port landing stage.'
The gangplank did not move this time when Jann's gig docked. Seni must've been at the controls. The hounds greeted Jann and Seni as old friends and Jann greeted them and me just as before. Belbania was well astern, as I'd expected. I had considered inviting Vynnia to join us, but something in Jann's manner suggested that this was business rather than social, so I showed them to my office and waived them to my causal chairs. This time I didn't chase the hounds out and put a globe of Ysent rum next to Jann without bothering to ask.
'What can I get you, Seni? I'm going to have a mug of cha...'
'Cha will be fine with me,' she replied. Seni Shir is a very small, neat looking woman whose first, and true, impression is one of economic efficiency. She knows everything there's to know about running a ship wisely and effectively. She's the first mate's first mate. She’d have been a ship's captain already, save her loyalty to the Night Hawk Line and Captain Jann.
We exchanged small talk about who we knew in the anchorage while I made the cha.
I handed Seni her mug and settled on a chair. 'I believe you wanted answers, Zel.'
'I'll cut to lift, this time. I need to know what's up with Min & Co and Tallith Min, and why you have Tallith Min signed on as a pilot,' said Jann setting down his globe of rum.
That knocked me completely off course. Min was still on my crew list and Jann, as captain, would've access to the Guild records that'd show that. I didn't see any course but admit to that, but beyond...
'She is on my books but not aboard ship. May I ask why you want to know?' I answered guardedly.
'Because Captains Dunnet, Kadalar, Ambon and I have gotten into the ship owning business. We've bought four used twenty-four box traders presently being refitted at & Kin's. I want Seni to take my position as captain of the Comet King. She's more than earned it. But I want to be sure the position is hers before I resign. If I can't be certain, I'll stay on and appoint her captain of my trader, which I'm thinking of naming Zelbe's Folly. I'd rather Seni take over the Comet King and I command my own ship, but I'll not have her serving under another Ministry of Death or Min & Co appointed master. So I need to know who and what I'm dealing with back on Calissant to make this happen. I'd also like to know what's up with this White Bird Line and how it'll affect us. Fair enough?'
Dunnet, Kadalar and Ambon were three of the Night Hawk Line captains whose ships had been laid up on Calissant. The precipitous fall in trade volume meant that smaller ships with smaller crews (planet traders needed only a crew of four, and are often just family run affairs) are able to show a profit with today's smaller cargoes. It was probably a pretty canny move on the captains' parts to snap up these planet traders, though these ships were almost small tramps.
'Fair enough. Vinden owned the Lost Star outright when he died. The documents were all in the Ministry and the heir was clearly listed so rather than risk losing credits, they released it to the heir. My understanding is that the rest of the fleet will go to someone else, so we have no official or unofficial connection to Night Hawk Line anymore. As far as Tallith Min, she had decided that being a ship broker did not suit her at this point in life. She sold her share of Min & Co to Phylea Kardea and the staff. She still controls the other two thirds of the business her brother and sister own, but she's given Kardea full operational control of Min & Co, so when you're dealing with Phylea, you're essentially dealing with the owner these days. Phylea might have to confer with the Ministry to change captains, but I'd think they'd almost certainly go along with anything she suggested. I can't imagine Phylea would have any objection to appointing Seni captain, or why the Ministry would either.'
Jann looked to Seni and nodded. 'Good. It should work out.' He glanced across to me, 'Seni's put in too much time and effort for her loyalty not to be rewarded. Now what about Tallith Min? I'd like to meet her but you said she's not aboard?'
I nodded. 'Right. She's not,' I paused, uncertain of how to continue. I could trust Jann and Seni, so I opted to tell the truth, as little as possible of it, but the truth. 'She originally signed on, but when an opportunity to sail as a guest of her former captain aboard the Aurora came up, she took it.'
'But she's still on your books.'
'Yes. Her original plan was to sail with us as pilot to learn the tramp trade, but now seems she's content to see the eight stars as a simple tourist...'
'But she's still on your books,' Jann insisted. 'Why?'
'I'm still hoping she'll sail with us. So I've kept her on.'
He stared at me. 'I knew Hawker well enough to know who Vinden willed this packet to, but that still doesn't explain why she's still on your books after running off on the Aurora or deciding to be a tourist. But I s
uppose it's none of my business,' he added with a shrug.
Dare I leave it there? If they had been sailing in hours, I would have. But they were not.
'Listen, this stays just between us,' I began, leaning forward and pausing until I had their nods of agreement. 'I can't go into details, but briefly, Min believes that her parents were killed, and perhaps Miccall and Vinden as well, by enemies out of their past. She has very good reasons to believe they mean to kill her too. She's determined to find out why and who's behind those murders but feels she's a danger to anyone around her and is determined to seek the killers alone. It may be none of my business, but I'd feel a whole lot better if she pursued her goals aboard the Lost Star. I've been able to sign on not only Rafe gil'Giles, but Tenry Roynay and Vynnia enCarn as well, so you see we're well equipped to find secret things and deal with shadowy threats. But at the moment it seems I'm not able to convince Min of that, but with her still on my books...' I left it hang with a look.
Jann and Seni have both been executive officers for many decades, so I didn't have to say more.
'Would you dare?'
'Yes. Well, maybe. Roynay and enCarn only signed on to stay with her as watch dogs and will follow her whether or not she wants them to... So you see I'm on a knife's edge. I have to count on you to steer well clear of all this.'
Jann grinned. 'You're a surprisingly ruthless son of a black star, Litang.'
'Driven so by necessity.'
'That's what all us ruthless bastards say.'
'He's bound for the drifts, Captain. I think he needs all the expertise he can get,' added Seni, with a sweet smile.
'True. Well, you can count on us, Litang. I want to sleep at night,' said Jann gravely.
I'm going to assume that was an example of Jann's humor, so I'll sleep at night.
We moved up to the awning deck shortly afterward to join the rest of the crew. Jann explained his plans to use their small trader fleet to shuttle boxes from the minor planets and hand off the long haul ones to the remaining three Night Hawk Line ships. That way they could offer express service for both short and long deliveries, free the tramps from planet calls for a couple of boxes, and drive business for all concerned. We suggested our old plan of using a couple of laid up tramps as orbital warehouses to smooth out the transfer process, which Jann thought promising, if they could charter a couple of ships cheap enough. They stayed on for several hours after the meal, and after I saw them off, I found my hammock quite comfortable for the twenty seconds I was awake.