by Petra Landon
For a moment, the two men contemplated each other in the near darkness, their only illumination the lights from the Wheeler and the Deziti vehicle. Ryf took in Benito’s expression — a curious mix of apology, chagrin and regret.
“Why’d you do it?” the RimWorlder demanded, not mincing his words.
Benito sighed. “What did they do, Captain?”
Soren arched his eyebrow. “You don’t know?” He was skeptical.
“We were told to ensure your ship was docked at the Vestibule — their men would take care of the rest” the executive admitted. “The Vestibule guards had orders to cooperate.”
Ryf worked hard to hide his rage but there was a bite to his voice. “They boarded my Cruiser. You’re lucky my crew is uninjured, or Deziti would have a war on its hands.”
The man paled.
Ryf’s expression hardened. “The war taught us RenWelders an important lesson. If you give a corporation an inch, soon they’ll want your homes and your lives” he said softly, the warning unmistakable.
Benito winced. “This probably doesn’t mean much to you, Captain, but we had no choice” he said heavily. “I did lodge a protest but the orders came from the top.”
The Captain contemplated him. “Give me a name.”
“I don’t have a name, Captain Soren. But we have done wrong by you. So, I will tell you this. Someone with a lot of influence made it very clear that if Deziti didn’t set this up, we’d be out of business.”
As the Captain frowned, Benito reiterated. “It came from an entity with the power to destroy us.”
Ryfkin Soren’s face blanked, as he tried to hide his astonishment. This, he had not expected.
“The Guild” he murmured, half under his breath.
Benito did not refute the assertation. “We are not a big operation, Captain. And being blackballed by them will put us out of commission.”
A gobsmacked Ryf said nothing, merely watching the executive silently.
“Deziti will not challenge it if you insist on keeping the payroll cash” Benito offered hesitantly.
The Captain shook his head, his voice grim. “That’s not how I do business, Mr. Benito. You’ll pay me what we agreed. And once my crew has an estimate for the damage your hired slingers did to my Cruiser, Deziti will foot the bill for it.”
The older man sighed again, his voice heavy with regret. “Our apologies, Captain. The Soren name is respected on the Inner Worlds.”
His words had Ryf’s expression darkening. “You’re feckin’ lucky no one got hurt. Stay out of my way. Or the next time, I won’t play fair.”
Benito acquiesced, with a muted gesture that implied compliance.
Your cash’s in there.” Ryf gestured at the shed as he walked away from the man.
Kali shot the Captain a look as the Wheeler rumbled back towards the Cruiser.
“Got a name, Cap’n?” he asked laconically.
“The Guild Coalition.”
“Feckin’ Gorath” Kali swore.
Jerik said nothing. The Guild Coalition played a larger than life role in all aspects on the Inner Worlds. To InnerWorlders, it was par for the course, though many resented it. But the RimWorlders’ grievances against the Guild went much deeper. Jerik, who’d spent the past six months with the Renegade crew, understood that.
“This time, it’s not us they were after, Kali” the Captain murmured. “We just happened to be in their way.”
Kali’s eyes flashed to him.
Ryfkin Soren’s silver eyes pinned down the pilot. “What’d they want from Ilar’s Justice?” he prompted Kali.
“The strongbox” Kali exclaimed, as it hit him. “This is about Ventini.”
“The Guild is shadow boxing with Venn Corp, Kali. The question is — does Venn Corp know it?”
Episode 5 : The Stars send a Message
Stowaway no more
Welcomed into the fold, Novi makes friends until a startling discovery raises disturbing questions for her …
Aftermath
Novi activated her Hailer — a thin strip that adhered to her wrist. When Commander Jeryn had presented the device with its corresponding earpiece to her, a wildly thrilled Novi had worked hard to hide her pleasure. The Hailer facilitated communication with the crew as they all worked feverishly to earn the Cruiser a clean bill of health from the ship’s mechanic. And yet, the communication device meant much more than a convenience to Novi. The Hailer made her feel like a legitimate member of the crew that so fascinated her; doubly gratifying after her time as a stowaway and a night in the Cruiser’s hold.
Unlike the simple communicators she was familiar with, the device was programmed to take voice commands and could piggyback on the Cruiser’s Star Hailer to extend its range of communication.
Novi scrolled through the list to pick Burok’s Hailer ID. “I’ve replaced the damaged circuit on the Nav Stabilizer. It’s good to go” she updated him.
“I’ll run diagnostics on the Navigation System. Should complete in a few hours.”
Not an easy man to faze, the mechanic nevertheless sounded relieved. Novi’s heart gladdened at the realization.
“I’ll work on the next item” she offered. They had a lot to work through if they were to find and fix every system potentially tampered with.
“Take a break, Novi” Burok directed over the Hailer. “You’ve earned it.”
Novi eyed the loaf of stuffed bread Kidani had given her. Back inside the duct, she sat on the walkway with tools strewn around her, engaged in replacing damaged parts from a list Burok had compiled.
“Two more parts on your list” she responded cheerfully. “I’ll take a break after.”
The Captain had asked for a full diagnostic of the Cruiser to ensure that all systems compromised by the slingers had been reset. Plus, Space Bay had taken major damage. As the ship’s mechanic, most of the work fell to Burok. Fortunately, the disruption to the tech systems in the maintenance duct had been minimal. Novi suspected the cause to be negligence rather than malice, as the slingers had grown increasingly frantic in their efforts to locate the strongbox.
“Alright” he gave in. “But don’t spend too long in the duct without a break.”
A spurt of laughter escaped Novi, her irrepressible and indomitable spirit rearing its head. Seven hours of assisting the mechanic with repairs had brought down some of Novi’s inhibitions. Burokin Xyn was the Cruiser’s senior mechanic, a big impassive RimWorlder a little older than the other crew. Novi had discovered that, though a man of few words, he was laid-back, hard to rattle and surprisingly easy to work with.
“Too late for that, Burok” she pointed out laughingly. “I spent two days in here. Closer to three, if you count my time with the slingers.”
“You’ll outlast us all, little InvunWelder” the mechanic countered in a deadpan voice. “Nothing to prove to us anymore.”
Novi chuckled. “I’ll be out in thirty” she assured him, signing off.
In truth, she couldn’t wait to get the Zeuf away from the duct. After a few hours in the walkway, the Ventini strongbox had her head throbbing. But she persisted, keenly aware that the crew was busy with other tasks and that Burok needed all the assistance he could get.
They had departed Zubiko Ethera six hours ago. True to his word, Burok had the Cruiser ready to sail when the Captain rolled into the Bay with Jerik and Kali. Commander Jeryn and Burok had been prepared to shoot their way out but the Shuttle Vestibule had retracted the clamps that connected the Cruiser’s airlock to the docking port, allowing Ilar’s Justice to take off without any further attempts to hinder it. Once clear of the planet, Jerik had directed them to an uninhabited moon not far from Zubiko Ethera. In the shadow of the moon, the Cruiser sat parked while they worked on the repairs their senior mechanic deemed essential before they set sail again. Fortunately, the damage to the systems was minimal. Further investigation had indicated that even the destruction in Space Bay was superficial, though the console was toast. Declaring
the Bay console unsalvageable, Burok had routed its functions to his station in Cruiser Control. Venn Corp’s savaged crates with the contents strewn around the Bay had been repacked again. But the Commander, assisted by the senior crew, still grappled with the Cruiser System. Having reconfigured the operation mode on Zubiko Ethera to a minimal set of functions that ran under the ship’s own steam by eschewing all Vestibule feeds, Commander Jeryn was now attempting to reset the Cruiser System back to factory defaults. Recognizing that Burok had a lot on his plate, Novi had thrown herself into the repairs, thrilled to be accepted into the fold.
Away from the duct where an elated Novi hummed while she worked on the tech systems, in Cruiser Control, the crew toiled in silence, the frenetic pace having given way to a more measured one as the good news poured in steadily. Apart from the damage to Space Bay, Ilar’s Justice had escaped lightly. But now that immediate concerns were alleviated, their thoughts drifted to the treachery on Zubiko Ethera and the strange circumstances of what should have been a routine job.
Vizir was the first to break the silence, asking the question on everyone’s lips. “Is the Guild playing us, Cap’n?”
Soren looked up from his console to meet the RimWorlder’s eyes. “You mean this was directed at us and Ventini’s strongbox is merely a red herring?”
As the others ignored their tasks to attend to the conversation, Vizir countered. “Why would the Guild go after Venn Corp? There’s no prize to be had.”
Zinera Jeryn shot a look at the Captain, before proffering a likely explanation. “Ryf believes the Guild and Venn Corp are getting into bed together, Vizir. Perhaps, a falling out between uneasy bedmates?”
The impact of her words seemed to strike not just Vizir, but also the others. If the two richest corporations started duking it out, the Inner Worlds would become a mine field for Ilar’s Justice and its crew. And if the Guild and Venn Corp went into business together, that too would have consequences for the former Renegade crew and their Captain. Soren’s ties with the two corporations fell on opposite ends of the spectrum. A majority of their business in the Inner Worlds came from Venn Corp. But to the Guild, Ryfkin Soren’s name was anathema — he’d made the Coalition taste their first defeat, forcing them to abandon the Rim Worlds. How would the two corporations reconcile such drastic differences when it came to Soren and his crew?
Vizir’s brow puckered. “The Guild has reason to woo Venn Corp, Commander” he said slowly, musing on the prospect of a collaboration between the two corporations. “The Labyrinth helps feed their ambition to control the Invun Welds. But what does Venn Corp gain from the alliance?”
“An SPL jump is expensive, Vizir” Kali ventured. “Too expensive for most InvunWelders, even corporations. The Guild Coalition has the deepest pockets in the Invun Welds. Venn Corp might simply want to keep their biggest customer happy.”
“And remember, the Guild’s resources are superior to anything Venn Corp can muster” the Captain added. “There’s a reason they hire us to transport their valuable cargo, instead of the Venn Guards. But it’s not just a question of muscle. The Coalition knows everything that goes on in the Invun Welds — it controls the larger planets, the most lucrative businesses and a vast majority of space infrastructure. Allying with them would give Venn Corp access to information, resources and infrastructure they currently lack.”
“Like the information about the Synths organizing to sabotage the portals” the Commander murmured. “Venn Corp, on its own, would never in a thousand years come within sniffing distance of such intel, Vizir.”
A hitherto silent Jerik spoke up, his voice sober. “If Deziti is any indication, the Guild can force smaller businesses to do its dirty work with just a few properly directed threats. The Coalition is very powerful on the Inner Worlds, Vizir. Even Venn Corp with its SPL would not dare to say no if the Guild offered an alliance.”
“I buy it” Vizir acceded the point, convinced by the narrative. “But if Venn Corp and the Guild are dancing around an alliance, why would the Coalition risk it for Ventini’s cargo?”
“Those slingers were dead serious about the strongbox, Vizir” Kali stated grimly. His eyes flickered to Kidani. “They were willing to kill for it. If it was a ruse, they’re better actors than I am.”
“They’re mercenaries, Kali” Zinera Jeryn countered. “They would not necessarily be told the score, just their goal.”
“Zin is correct” Soren interjected. “But Vizir has a point. If there’s a collaboration in the works, the Guild would never risk their pact with Venn Corp by going after Ventini’s box.”
“Exactly” Vizir affirmed. “So, why raid Ilar’s Justice?”
Ryf smiled. “Because there’s something the Guild didn’t account for. Venn Corp was never supposed to find out about the raid or the strongbox.”
As the others looked surprised, Kali beat everyone to the question, his curiosity piqued. “What didn’t they account for, Cap’n?”
“Benito” the Captain responded confidently. “He didn’t like the position the Guild forced them into. Clearly, Deziti didn’t expect to recover its payroll once we discovered that we’d been tricked. Benito could easily have cut his losses and refused to meet with me. Instead, he showed up to apologize and to make amends for Deziti’s role in it.”
The silver eyes glanced around Cruiser Control as his crew stared at him.
“The Guild knows no honor and they would never think to account for an honorable man” Ryf reiterated. “Benito told me who it was that forced Deziti to double-cross us. The Guild never expected Deziti to tell us the score.”
As the others reflected on the Captain’s words, Kali pressed Soren. “You’re sure this isn’t about us, Cap’n?”
“Very sure, Kali. We haven’t given the Guild any reason to come after us. Yet. When they do, there will be nothing subtle about it. They’ll use a battering ram.”
Ryf’s expression hardened. “Benito’s admission is an unexpected gift. I mean to use it wisely. We know the Guild and how they operate. They used professional slingers to raid Ilar’s Justice — kept their hands clean but still took a risk. Makes me believe that what they wanted from the Cruiser is important to the Coalition.”
“It might also be an attempt to drive a wedge between us and Venn Corp, Cap’n” Kali pointed out thoughtfully. “If they’d robbed us of the strongbox, our relationship with Venn Corp would suffer.”
“It’s possible the Guild calculates that losing Venn Corp business will force us back to the Ren Welds” the Captain acknowledged. “While Ventini works with us, we remain in their backyard.”
They were too dependent on Venn Corp for their livelihood, Ryf knew. Ironically, Zubiko Ethera had been his attempt to broaden their clientele.
“The Gorath wants to kill two birds with one stone” Commander Jeryn murmured, her eyes seeking her old friend. “But their methods betray them — sneaky, underhanded, callous and opportunistic.”
As their eyes tangled, she mused that as always, Ryf had seen this coming. No matter how much they flew under the radar, he’d been sure the Guild would come gunning for them, sooner or later. Now, they were caught in the middle of whatever game the Coalition was playing with the corporation that single-handedly allowed them to finance their venture in the Invun Welds.
“We have an ace in the hole, Zin” Ryf said softly, reminding her that they were still in the game. After the first flush of rage and ire, he’d banished the emotions to cold-bloodedly analyze the situation. “A dead slinger.”
Vizir straightened, excitement rippling through him. “If we identify the slinger, we might be able to trace who hired him.”
“Bingo.”
Kidani, silent so far, offered her assistance. She was the one with the connections in the Inner Worlds. “You want me to make inquiries, Cap’n?”
“No, Kidani.” The Captain shook his head. “We don’t have the resources or connections for this, but I know who does.”
“Zufon Ventini�
� muttered Kali.
“Yes” Ryf confirmed.
“You’re going to tell him about this, Boss?” Jerik asked.
“He deserves to know that mercenaries were hired to go after the contents of his strongbox, Jerik. I’m also going to tell him who we suspect of targeting him. Venn Corp has the resources to trace whether the dead slinger has a connection to the Guild. And if the Coalition is trying to drive a wedge between us, being truthful with Ventini is our best defense.”
“If the Guild did hire him, Cap’n …” Kali’s voice trailed off.
“It’s Venn Corp’s job to figure it out, Kali” Ryf countered. “Zufon Ventini didn’t get where he is by tiptoeing around. If there’s a connection, he’ll dig it out.”
Kali exchanged a glance with Vizir. Whatever was brewing between Venn Corp and the Guild Coalition, they were now ensnared in it. It would take the Captain some careful sidestepping to keep his crew out of the game until he was ready to engage on his terms. That didn’t worry them. The Renegades would always put their hard-earned money on Ryfkin Soren. During the war, he’d demonstrated an uncanny ability to anticipate the enemy’s moves, always skirting nimbly away just when the Guild thought it had the Renegades in their net.
“Cap’n” Kidani drew his attention. It struck her that the RimWorlders might not be aware of old history pertinent to their cause. Her first instinct had been to remain silent. What she had to say might not be relevant. And old habits die hard. While Kidani’s loyalties now lay with the Captain and her new crew, matters concerning the Guild occasionally put her in an odd position.
Ryf turned to her. “Yes, Kidani?”
“Zufon Ventini and the Guild go back a long way, Cap’n” she said gravely. “The Guild financed his early expeditions. They’re not strangers.”
“She’s right, Boss” Jerik chimed in, her words jogging his memory. “Zufon Ventini was known as a Guild man during his StarVision days. The gossip was that if Ventini wanted to find the Serpent of Ilara, he could get the Guild to finance it, when other, more deserving, expeditions with genuine claims to the Heavenly Abode were left begging for funds.”
