Chapter 67 The Ghosts' First Stirring
I haven't been told our planet of call and our course is shrouded in secrecy, but that's the way we operate now. This is my last voyage as captain, and it's only a courtesy – I just follow the orders I'm given. The engines are silent; the ship is silent. Everyone but me is in their sleeper-pods. Except Botts. It doesn't sleep. I'm not ready for sleep just yet. It'll all be different when I wake up again. Assuming I do. So I think I'll use this time to bring my memoir up to date.
I'll only touch on most relevant events. There are many yarns to spin, many of them not my own to spin. I'll let the main characters tell their tales, if they dare. Others, I could spin, but seem, now, to be minor tales, tales I might set down on the quiet nights on the porch of my bungalow, surrounded by my cha trees and the nebula, far overhead, far away. And that's an iffy dream.
So to start, I must to go back four years, to our safe arrival in Tradonia orbit, with the treasure in our holds. It took six days to validate our salvage claim with the various parties involved. The actual payment could not be made until the cargo was sold and its exact value determined – the better part of seven months. I knew our 1/12th share of the salvage would be worth a fortune, but I was still amazed at how much 16 quarter containers of gold, silver, platinum and rare earths and minerals were worth – for Tallith Min. We stayed in Tradonia orbit only long enough to complete the documentation. I wanted to put as much distance between Molaye and Linnor as possible, as quickly as possible.
They did, as agreed, suspend their partnership upon arrival in Tradonia. Linnor, being older, wiser, and perhaps more cool-headed, had insisted on that – though not without doubts which I could plainly see. Molaye very reluctantly agreed, and was so heartbroken that I feared she might choose to stay on Tradonia, regardless. I probably did her an injustice, but I wasn't about to take the chance. I'd invested too much time and effort in my first mate to risk losing her, so I sailed for Baidora with only ten boxes as soon as I could clear the red tape. Molaye didn't object, but was very quiet and withdrawn. I hoped time and youth would heal the hurt soon enough. It wasn't as if they'd quarreled or fallen out, it was simply a matter of expediency. Their careers would, at least, span several more decades, keeping them apart, which likely gave them pause...
I found a full shipload of boxes wait for us in Baidora including 57 boxes for Shantien. Apparently the Starry Shore was now the unofficial official supplier to Shantien. As much as I wanted to give the drifts a miss and concentrate on building an interplanetary business, especially after making even more enemies in the drifts, I found I couldn't pass on a 101 box load on our old familiar route. And, well, I still wanted to put more time and distance between Molaye and Linnor. So six days later, loaded and fueled, we left once more on our old run, Creylin, to Vilin's Rock, to Dortag on to Shantien, and finally Hendin, where we turned about for drift stations of D'Jin and Lyrina, and the small drift world of Ravin. We experienced an engine shutdown on the Lyrina to Ravin run. Fortunately, it proved to be just a pin hole leak that could be plugged, no doubt a souvenir of our time in the Kryver Reef meteor plume.
It was on Ravin that the first ghost stirred.
Xin VonBrey, our agent on Ravin, pinged me as we finished unloading the dozen boxes we had for Ravin. 'Greeting Captain,' he began as his image came on the screen, 'I've just received a commission to offer an open-ended charter to the Starry Shore at Guild standard plus a drift work premium rate. Interested?'
My answer was prompt and decisive. 'No. Not in the least.'
'Not even in learning more?'
'No. I'm sticking to the rocks I know.'
'The charter with the premium pays rather well.'
'Don't need the credits.'
'I'd imagine not,' he said, with a sigh for his commission. 'Heard about your salvage. Just doing my job. I suspect that your reputation for not being shy, and a Guild ship to boot, makes you an attractive charter for certain kinds of drift work.'
'Don't be fooled. I'm very shy, just lucky. Or unlucky, I'm not sure which. And I don't even want to think about what certain kinds of drift work you're talking about. Not interested, Xin.'
'Right. I'll pass along your polite refusal.'
I'd just finished my nightly rounds, when Elana, on watch, pinged me to say I'd another signal from VonBrey.
'Guild charter rates plus a hazardous bonus, one-year guarantee paid in advance. Still no recognizable name attached,' he said, adding, 'Just doing my duty.'
'Well Xin, it's still no, and you can add never to my refusal.'
The following day I receive this radio-packet text message,
Litang, I understand you rejected my offers out of hand. I shouldn't have to point out to you that it's your owner who makes these decisions, not you. Please have your owner respond to my offer. I can assure her there is nothing in my offer that a Guild ship would balk at performing, there are no risks involved beyond the ordinary drift work which you are currently engaged in. The hazardous duty bonus is merely an added incentive.
While I regret the necessity of keeping the exact nature of the charter secret at this point, all will be made clear as soon as the charter is signed or a meeting with your owner can be arranged. Please see to it now.
Banton & Co. will handle all further details concerning a meeting or your instructions upon the receipt of your acceptance.
I sat staring at that message, trying to calm my racing heart and trying to make some sense of it. Litang was as dead as the Lost Star, so who not only knew my old name but the sex of the ship's owner as well? That fact alone had been a well-kept secret back in our Azminn days – though it may've become common knowledge when Vinden's estate cleared the Ministry of Death. Calissant tramp ship owners keep a very close eye on each another. My first thought was that it had to be either Min, Tenry or Vynnia, trying to contact me. But this obscure method made no sense. St Bleyth or the Legion simply made no sense either. So who, on this small, out of the way drift world would recognize us as the Lost Star, and what did they want with us?
I signaled VonBrey, 'Who is Banton & Co?'
'It's some small trading company. Why?'
'I received the charter offer directly, saying that Banton would relay our instructions. I'm trying to figure out who's behind this offer.'
'Sorry Wil, haven't a clue. I was curious myself, so I've looked into it, but the trail leads nowhere. Banton & Co, is one of a dozen small deep drift trading companies who have offices or drop boxes here. I really doubt you'd find anything more from Banton & Co. They're likely just acting as a middleman. I really don't know what to make of it. I haven't heard anything out of the deeper drifts that could connect with the offer.'
'Well, thanks Xin. I think we'll sail hollow this time around. I don't have a good feeling about this...'
'Oh, my poor commission,' he laughed. 'But I don't blame you. Fair orbits, Captain.'
I replied to the radio packet via Banton & Co,
Sir. I am afraid you are under some sort of mistaken impression. As a check of Guild records will confirm, my name is Wilcrofter and we are operated by Dyzran Tan & Co out of LaTrina. My sailing instructions give me full operating authority to accept or reject charter offers and I can assure you, we are not interested in your offered charter under any terms.
Nives Wilcrofter, Captain, Starry Shore