The Snows of Montora (The Chronicles of Montora Book 3)

by Ward Wagher

  “No. To be sure. Caledons good friends. Woogaea for the Woogies. Property rights. Frank understand?”

  “I think so.” Frank stood up and walked around his desk to sit in one of the side chairs so he could look the Woogie in the eye. He flinched slightly at the menthol and stinkweed odor emanating from the five-legged being standing in his office. The Woogie's single, pale, blue eye followed his progress.

  “To upset the Frank?” The Woogie shivered slightly. A hint of vanilla seeped into the room.

  “Oh, no, Spanky. I just need to make sure I understand you. “You are buying out the planetary charter from its owner, who happens to be on Earth.”

  “Correctly. Charter issued from Italy government on Man-home. Woogies did not know, then.”

  “So you have an agreement to purchase the charter from the current owner on Earth.”

  “Correct again. To carry the payment for the Woogies. To be thanked greatly.”

  Frank frowned as he considered what he heard. “So, Spanky, who is the current owner of the charter?”

  “Roma Carlo.”

  Frank leaned back in the chair and put his hand over his face. “Oh, God!”

  “The human talks to Redeemer?” Spanky asked.

  “What? Oh. No, I was just expressing surprise.”

  “Nice surprise, yes. To buy the charter. You will come?”

  “You want to charter one of my starships?” Frank asked.

  “To be sure. Frank and ship to carry charter payment. Bring charter from Man-home. Woogies to be pleased.”

  “Why not just call CourierNet?” Frank asked. “They specialize in this type of cargo. It's much faster too.”

  “CourierNet not take Woogies.”

  “You are not just sending money, then,” Frank said.

  “Correct. Woogie committee to travel to Man-home.”

  Frank stood up and walked behind his desk. He touched a button on the terminal. “Stephanie, could you call Charles Schubach and tell him I have a new tasking for him?”

  “Of course, Mr. Nyman.”

  Frank sat down. “You are looking for an immediate departure, Spanky? Are you riding along?”

  “No, will stay a while. The Woogie walked.”

  Frank grinned. “Will you travel to Caledon with me?”

  The pale blue eye gazed a Frank for nearly ten seconds. Then Spanky waved his arms / tentacles in the air. “So sorry the Woogie. A misunderstanding. Spanky will stay here. Frank meets Sooozie at Caledon with star shipper. To be clarified.”

  “Okay, I understand. I hate to ask you this, but I need a deposit in order to take the Forsythia to Caledon without cargo.”

  “The Woogie has cargo. Norge Industries prepared shipment. Cover your cost, help the Woogies. What could go wrong?”

  “Spanky, I don't even want to ask. I've given the crew a couple days dirt-side. We can be ready to haul gravs in three or four days.”

  “Need to haul cargo for the Woogie,” Spanky said.

  “Right. Tell your customer I will be happy to carry his cargo. You will make arrangements?”

  “Yes. Yes,” Spanky said.

  § § §

  “If you are taking the cargo all the way to Earth, you will be gone the better part of three months,” Emily Brundage said.

  Frank was sitting at the dinner table with the Brundages at the house on Wilton Street.

  “By the time I drag out to Caledon and load up it will be turn out to be four months. I am going to have to ask you two to hold the fort for me”, Frank said. “Smith and Jones have insisted on accompanying me. I will leave a couple of crew members from Forsythia to take care of the house until we get back. That way you can focus on the business.”

  “What kind of problems are you anticipating with Carlo Roma?” Gough asked. “I know he is not one of your favorite people.”

  “I am planning to get in and out of there without him seeing me. I don't want to queer the deal for the Woogies. This is important to them.”

  “Are you planning to make the run unescorted?” Emily asked.

  “I don't know,” Frank replied. “Hopefully the Woogies will be aware of the risk and plan accordingly. Forsythia is going to be a big, fat target when word gets out about the nature of the cargo.”

  “I'd think about keeping it secret if I were them,” Gough said.

  “Me too,” Frank said. “But the Woogies don't think quite like we do. In their minds, they are taking appropriate measures. I'm going to suggest the Navy rustle up a tin can to stick with us, at least for the trip in.”

  “Is that likely?”

  “I have no idea,” Frank said. “The Woogies have influence in ways that will surprise you. Admiral Krause is almost polite to them.”

  “That's hard to believe,” Gough said.

  “No matter, the Woogies are paying excellent money for this job. Besides, I like them. They are straight-up people.”

  “Spanky must like you anyway,” Emily said.

  “For some strange reason. Anyway, this is a plum of a contract. They are covering costs both ways to Earth. If I can pick up a cargo there, we will be way ahead.”

  “What are your instructions for us, then?” Emily asked.

  “You will need to cover the office as well continue developing the operations side of the business. Also, look for opportunities to generate more business.”

  “What kind of authority, if I might ask?”

  “No, that's fine, Ems. You and Gough will be running the business here. I am going to ask Spanky to co-sign on any amounts over one-hundred kay Centaurans, but you're making the call.”

  “Instead of George?” Gough asked.

  “Instead of George,” Frank said. “George is a good friend. I trust him, but he is not aggressive. Spanky is a sharp operator. If you get a shot at something that will really grow the business, the little Woogie will give good advice. George would walk away from any risk.”

  “And he might short you,” Emily said.

  Frank shook his head slowly. “No. I don't think he would. But I'd trust Spanky with my life, what little it's worth.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  “Just keep portable shiny things out of sight whenever he's around. You remember that crystal paperweight on my desk at the office? Well, he made off with it this morning.”

  Emily chuckled. “I'm sure that made his day.”

  “Just remember, folks, I don't pay bonuses on just doing the job. I pay bonuses on growing the company.”

  “And if we screw up?” Gough asked.

  “You're asking if it comes out of your pay?” Frank asked. They nodded.

  “No. Everybody makes a mistake once in a while. I play for the long haul. Show me what you can do. And, oh, by the way, keep Fillbee away from Stephanie. I think he's stalking her.”

  “Oh, my,” Emily said. “That boy is creepy.”

  “Exactly. I think he has an advanced case of lust. That makes him dangerous.”

  “I can teach him how to be a contortionist,” Gough said. “It's amazing the things you can do to a human body.”

  “I don't know if he's smart enough to learn from pain, though,” Frank said.

  “In my experience, people learn quickly with the application of pain.”

  “Well, I'm concerned he'll get frisky when Jones leaves town with me. For some reason he's terrified of the Sarge.”

  Gough produced an evil grin. “I think we can manage a transfer of terror.”

  “Yeah, and you also have to manage the payments to Chavis and the Provost. Don't let them get greedy.”

  Gough nodded. “Consider that done. If they start getting out of hand, I can always make them disappear.”

  “Please try to avoid that, if possible. I'd prefer to keep a low profile.”

  Emily reached out to slap Gough on the shoulder. “Enough of that, Gough. Frank thinks you're serious.”

  “I am.”

  “I'll keep him under control for you, Frank,” she said
.

  “Who? Gough or Fillbee?”

  She laughed out loud. “Gough. Fillbee is no problem.”

  Gough rolled his eyes and put an aggrieved look on his face as he reached for his coffee cup. “I've been nursemaiding officers since the Paladin was a Corporal, Skipper. You just have to let them think they're really running things.”

  “Stop that, Gough,” Emily said. “We are going to have to have a little talk.”

  “Oh, please.”

  “Where are the sergeants tonight, anyway?” Emily asked.

  “They are helping Spanky with the cargo load-out.”

  “Helping or providing security?”

  “Yes. The local riffraff somehow manages to smell when cargoes are going out. They hang around the port with the idea of engaging in petty pilferage. With Smith & Jones around, the problems are nil.”

  “Too bad they aren't staying around here,” Gough said.

  “I hear ya,” Frank said. “Unfortunately they interpret their mission as following me around to keep me out of trouble.”

  “You didn't hire them?”

  “No, Otto Putin sent them, and they sort of attached themselves to me. Not that I'm not glad at times, but they can be a bit suffocating.”

  “I'm glad you have those minders,” Emily said. “There are some vicious people in this universe.”

  “And some of them have Admiral's stars,” Frank said.

  Emily looked up at the ceiling, but didn't comment. Gough just grinned.

  Frank sat with his hands cradling his coffee cup for a few more minutes, than stood up. “I suppose I should call it a day. Lots to do tomorrow before leaving town.”

  “Right, Skipper,” Gough murmured.

  § § §

  Andreas Neckersulm, the Provost of the University of New Stockholm was working late at his desk when Benjamin Chavis slipped into the room. He eased onto the sofa across from the Provost's desk and waited.

  After continuing to work for another five minutes, Neckersulm dropped his stylus and pinched the bridge of his nose. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

  “What brings you here Benjie?”

  “Nyman is leaving town, I heard.”

  “Just temporarily,” Neckersulm responded. “The Woogies want his personal attention on a cargo of theirs.”

  “I think we should roll up his whole operation while he is gone; then deal with him when he gets back,” Chavis said. “The man doesn't show proper respect.”

  Neckersulm looked carefully at the oily racketeer, and frowned. “Benjie, the man is worth upwards of seven-hundred-fifty million Centaurans. He could buy you or me out of pocket change. You should be very glad he decided to play along with our little schemes.”

  “You didn't tell me he was rich.”

  “I didn't know myself until recently, Benjie. The man owns three starships. He also owns a title of nobility and the lands to go with it. He also made a couple of huge scores when he was in the Navy – salvage of pirate vessels.”

  “I need to charge him more,” Chavis said. “I thought he was just a broker. His office is a dump.”

  “No, Benjie, you do not need to charge him more. He's willing to pay you to keep things quiet. If you raise your prices, he's liable to send one of his attack dogs after you, and take over the business himself.

  “But they're going with him.”

  “Who's left? The Brundages? The man is almost as competent as those two sergeants, and I suspect the woman is too. Let it alone, Benjie.”

  “But you are getting so much more than I am,” he whined.

  “How many people do you have on your payroll?”

  “Four.”

  “I have fourteen-hundred. Plus I have to take care of the infrastructure here in Gustav. Believe me, you do not want these problems.”

  “I just think that is unfair. Nyman is paying me a hundred per week.”

  “That's a hundred per week more than you had before he arrived.”

  “But I would like more.”

  “Then you need to go out and earn it, Benjie. Maybe you would do better making an honest living.”

  “Hey, Andreas, I'm an honest businessman.”

  Neckersulm stared at Chavis for a few moments. “I'm busy, Benjie. If there's nothing else...”

  Chavis got up quietly and left the room.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “I've reserved the Owner's Suite for you, if that's all right,” Charles Schubach said.

  “Yeah, fine. You're the Skipper, now, and I mainly want to stay out of your hair,” Frank said.

  “I hope I'll still be the skipper after this trip,” he said.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Schubach had an unreadable expression on his face, and he just shrugged.

  Frank made his way along the corridors of the Forsythia, with Smith following. It was like coming home again after a year's absence. His thumbprint opened the door to the Owner's Suite and Frank stepped in to the once again familiar space. Yet not everything was the same.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Hello Frank,” Willard Krause said from where he sat on the sofa. “I was passing through the neighborhood and heard you were heading out. I thought maybe we could chat.”

  Frank looked back at Smith, who was standing in the doorway. “Did you know he was here at Sarah's Star?”

  “No, Sir,” Smith replied.

  Frank raised his chin, and Smith backed out, letting the door slide shut. He walked across the compact sitting room and dropped into the wingback chair across from the sofa where the Admiral sat.

  “Not that I'm not glad to see you, Admiral, but I don't suppose I really am glad to see you.”

  “Always good to see you too, Frank. I know you have a lot of reasons not to like me, and by the way, I instructed Charlie not to let you know I was here.”

  “I wondered about that. He had a funny look on his face when I came aboard.”

  “I understand you're heading to Caledon?”

  “Word gets around,” Frank said. “The Woogies have a critical cargo they wished me to personally handle.”

  “May I ask the nature of the cargo?” the Admiral asked.

  Frank tilted his head back and forth, and frowned. “I suppose, although it is a bit sensitive. The Woogies want to buy the Woogaea planetary charter from Carlo Roma. They chartered Forsythia to haul the payment to Earth. As to the amount and specie, I don't know. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to being a part of anything that involves one of the Romas, even the supposedly sane one.”

  Krause raised an eyebrow, and crossed his legs. “I suppose I could understand that, given previous events.”

  “Do you really? I mean, honestly.”

  “Frank, you've got to understand that I'll regret do my dying day what happened to Wendy...”

  “Let's not get into that again, Admiral. Okay? We can't bring her back. Okay. I understand that. Beyond that, you and I have wildly differing thoughts about the related events. Okay. Let's just drop it. Now what do you want?”

  “Settle down, Captain.” The Admiral's voice was one of command. “My purpose here is not to rehash the past.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “No, I had a purpose in stopping by. I guess now I have two reasons.” Krause chose to ignore Frank's implicit challenge.

  Frank sighed and looked at the ceiling. “All right. Let's have it. I need to get on my way to Caledon.”

  “When was the last time you were at Caledon, Frank?”

  “I don't know. Five years ago, maybe. It's been a while. I'm not actually going to Caledon proper. We're heading for the Cardiff system, but we'll hang orbit around Woogaea.”

  The Admiral nodded. “Considering the sensitivity of the cargo, I wouldn't suggest anything different for now.”

  “Your point?”

  “Frank, quit being so belligerent! I'm your friend, and I'm trying to help you out here.”

  “I'd hate to be your
dog, Admiral.”

  Krause stared at him for a moment, and then burst into laughter. “The closest I've ever been to having a dog was that beast Charlie Schubach had. And, I see you trying not to smile, Frank.”

  Frank snorted. “The only creature that did what none of your officers ever had the nerve to do.”

  During Charles Schubach's tenure as Willard Krause's flag captain, he had smuggled a dog aboard. Everyone knew about it save the Admiral – until the animal slipped into the Admiral's quarters and bit him on the behind as he was drying himself after a shower.

  “I suppose it was a lesson in humility, and I ought to remember it. What you need to remember is that we got ourselves into an impossible situation on Hepplewhite, and it was important to get you away from Carlo Roma.”

  “True,” Frank said. “I might have killed him.”

  “And he could have easily had you killed too, Frank. Don't ever forget it. The reason you are still alive is, one, he usually doesn't work that way; and, two, he understood he had caused the mess.”

  “That doesn't make me feel any better,” Frank said.

  “And he knows that too, Frank. Please understand, Carlo dotes on his wife and his family. He had no idea that Guilietto had gone around the bend like that and was horrified at what happened. Particularly, at what happened to Wendy.”

  “And he still walked away from it,” Frank said.

  “No, he didn't! Tell me, how would you feel if you had accidentally caused the death of a colleague's wife?”

  “Are you trying to make me feel guilty now, Admiral? Because, I am guilty for what happened.”

  “Will you just stop and listen to me? Put yourself in his shoes. Carlo Roma not only has a high sense of honor, but this whole thing has been an unending nightmare for him too. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but if you had pushed it, he probably would have given you all of Hepplewhite.”

  Frank leaned forward in his chair. “So why are you telling me this? You were the one who told me, in no uncertain terms, not to push it.”

  “I can't tell you all of the reasons why, right now.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud!” Frank jumped up and took a turn around the room. “It would make life so much easier if you weren't so blinking enigmatic.”