by C. Litka
03
After the meal, Botts signaled me, via my com-link, that it had arranged a vid-conference with my old shipmates for half an hour after the sleep period gong.
We spent the afternoon helping the staff get the guest rooms ready for company. There would be 18 guests arriving within the next six or seven rounds, who would be here until the courier ship, the Island Dove, arrived. Though the ship was expected within the next dozen rounds, without radio contact between the island groups, The Hermitage had no way of knowing exactly when it would arrive. It may've encountered storms, experienced mechanical breakdowns or suffered some other delay. It could also never arrive, so there was a tinge of apprehension in the air as well. The Pela is not the Unity, and even in the Unity, some ships never arrive.
I slipped out of The Hermitage just before the sleep period and hurried through the hangar to the secret door where Botts was waiting to let me in. He took me to the reading room where one of the view screens had a split view of two empty, and unfamiliar, shipboard office compartments.
'Two ships these days?'
'Three, actually. I'm aboard the Stiletto, Captain Molaye Merlun, master. Botts II, equipped with a new quantum com-chip is aboard the Drift Star, Captain Dicier d'Vel, master, together with some of your younger shipmates. I have no link to the third ship, the Golden Dream, Captain Fayla Linnor, master, but none of your old shipmates are aboard her,' replied Botts.
'You guys must be doing well to have added two ships in ten years.'
'We are, but I will let my shipmates tell you all about that.'
'I'm glad everything turned out.'
I must admit to being very nervous with the prospect of seeing my old shipmates again - for reasons I could not pin down. I was glad that I had a chance to watch them as they drifted in without them knowing I was watching.
Molaye, tall and lanky, looked every bit the captain I had expected her to be. She drifted in with an air of easy, indolent authority - still wearing an invisible pirate piece on her hips. She slipped behind her large desk while idly badgering Botts about the nature of this executive-only meeting. 'I believe I'm in charge of this ship and the company. What's this all about?'
'Patience, Captain.'
Riv and Lilm drifted in next, Riv grumbling because it was his long sleep watch. Sitting himself down on the edge of the desk asked, 'What's so important that you have to drag me all the way up here? Couldn't you just send a memo - or tell Lilm?'
'Ask Botts. It's the one calling the meeting.'
The Drays, Barlan and Satsa entered, before Botts had a chance to answer.
When they had settled against the cabin bulkhead, Riv said, 'We're all here. What do you have to say, Botts? This is costing me sleep.'
'Oh, hush Riv,' snapped Lilm.
'Just waiting for Dici and his crew to join us,' replied Botts, indicating an unseen view screen, that showed Dici, followed by Elana, Kie and Sar Nil. They filled the other half of my screen, as Botts adjusted the view to make it almost look like everyone was in the same cabin.
'We're all here now - let's lift, Botts. What is it that you've dragged us here for?' grumbled Riv.
'I believe I have a confession to make?' Botts began and launched into a brief description of the construction of Botts III. I could plainly see that Molaye had already grasped the implications of Botts' story. She leaned forward staring at me - or the blank screen on the bulkhead. 'Cut it short, Botts,' she snapped.
'Yes, Captain. Botts III has recently had the good fortune of crossing orbits with an old shipmate of ours?' And the screen on their side sprang to life.
'Is it really you, Wil?' said Molaye, slowly rising from her chair to lean over her desk. 'Is it really you, Captain?'
The others had stirred as well. 'Of course it's the Skipper. Who else could it be? He's just lost his whiskers. It's grand to see you Skipper!' said Riv in the rising tide of exclamations. 'There was some talk aboard of you being dead.'
'My fault. Sorry about that,' I said, suddenly at ease. "I can't tell you how good it is to see all of you! I never thought I'd see you again!'
It was good - grand - to see and banter with my old shipmates and friends, some who had inhabited my little world for three decades. As the hubbub settled down, and Molaye covertly wiped a tear from her eye, I asked, 'Where are Illy and Lili? How are they doing?'
'Illy's retired, sort of. Technically she's our Office Manager on Constina, but it doesn't need a lot of managing. Rafe is still retired there as well, but looks after finding boxes for us. Lili cashed out and now is raising a family, as are Myes and Nadde.
As for the rest of us, as you can see, we returned to our old Amdia orbit. We're back to doing business with your Grandmama as well, plus a lot more these days. If you still remember your old life, you can fill in the blanks. But enough about us, tell us where you've been, what you've been up to and where you are now.'
'Too much to tell. Still?' I gave them a quick sketch of my life in the Pela.
'I seem to sense we're not getting the whole story, Wil,' said Molaye.
'Well, there's far too much to tell and Riv needs his sleep. So tell me, what have you been up to?'
'Oh, no you don't. What about your assassin, the Cin girl that you went back for?'
'I didn't go back for her?'
'Wil, I know you too well?'
'Well, not only for her.'
'Right. So, did you find her - before the island blew up under you?'
'Well, yes. She darted me in the back right after I stepped out of the gig. She planned to use me to get close to Min, so she didn't kill me. I was unconscious aboard the gig when the island blew up.'
'And?'
'And, well, she was shipwrecked with me.'
'And?'
'And, well, we came to an understanding. She's decided not to kill me?'
'And?' she asked, rising from her desk and stood, apparently trying to peer behind my image on the screen.
'What are you doing?' I asked.
'Just looking for all the little Litangs, who, even as we speak, are likely trying to sneak up on their ol'man with toy knives and darters in hand.'
'Very humorous,' I muttered over the laughter from the other side.
'So where is she and all those little Litangs?' asked Molaye, not deterred.
'There are no little Litangs,' I said, and was forced to give a sketchy outline of Naylea and me. 'So you see, we're just friends?'
'Right, We'll talk about that later,' said Molaye with a leering look, but she let it drop. 'Any chance of getting home?'
'Well, it seems that I'm the Machine Directorate's fair haired boy for all the weird things I've brought, unwillingly, to their attention. So when they launch their full scale exploration of the Pela, I gather that they'd be able to offer me transportation back to the Unity. But that may be decades from now. Machines have time and take it, sometimes.' I was honor bound to keep the Taoist ties to the Pela secret, so it would be the machines that carried me home, if ever I went. That, at least, would be my story.
'Now tell me how things are going with you. Botts tells me you actually are a three ship line now with Captain Linnor aboard now as well. It sounds like you're quite a success.'
'We had plenty of credits to start with with the gold shares and the sale of the darq gem. You're still a part owner, you know. We bought a nice used 100 box freighter, the Drift Star, for Dici with Elana as his first mate. We'll get her and Kie a ship of their own sooner or later. The Drift Star handles our old run out to Hendin. Feyla decided to give up the deep drifts, and bought into the company so we picked up a third ship. Her Golden Dream handles the other leg of our old pattern. With two ships in the drifts we can deliver everything twice as fast - or even faster, since we keep the Stiletto here in Amdia orbit, collecting boxes for the drifts and taking anything else we can pick up for in-system delivery?'
I had to laugh. 'You mean to say that the Drifteer Pirate Queen Merlun is running rings around Amdia ju
st like cautious ol'Cap'n Crofter always dreamed of doing?'
She scowled. 'And it's driving me to distraction - it's so boring! After a few years I think I'll turn over the Stiletto to Dici and take up rocket racing before I lose my reflexes!'
'So the dream is rocket racing, not cha growing, is it?'
'It's rocket racing, Wil. And I can't wait.'
'Well why are you running circles around Amdia instead of being the fiercest trader/pirate in the drifts?'
She sighed. 'I don't know how familiar you are with a brand new Ividar SilverStar 96 Box Liner, but it is the finest, fastest, most cost efficient, and just plain prettiest ship in the Amdia system, bar none. It'll blind you with the brightness of its silver livery. Neb, she's a sweet ship, Wil. I just couldn't bring myself to take her out into the drifts. A few years of plowing through the dust and she wouldn't shine half as brightly - and well, I want to sail her myself. So here I am, making circles around Amdia, just like you always dreamed of doing. Life can be so ironic?'
'I hope you're up to speed on Grandmama. I take it you read my memoirs?'
'Aye. We decided that we could deal with her and St Bleyth, if need be. However, she assured us that we were off the books, and knowing what we know about the organization, we were better in than out, so that's all clear. The fact is, our St Bleyth cargoes now accounts for less than a third of our business, so we're pretty independent. I know she'll be happy to hear that you're still alive. She was upset when she heard - our very discreet - account of having to leave you behind, lost and likely dead. Well, as upset as a hard boiled St Bleyth grandmother could be - who had a hand in setting off that chain of events.'
'I can imagine. However, don't say anything to her at all. Let's not give them any reason to be interested in you again. Botts tells me that the Machine Directorate has offered to send vid radio-packets for me - for as long as I can reach them via Botts' quantum com-chip. They will be delivered by the Directorate's diplomatic envoys in Amdia and Azminn, so there's no need for you to mention hearing from me at all, it would only raise questions as to how you found out in mid-passage or what sort of connections you still have with me. No point taking chances until we know where I stand with St Bleyth.'
We talked for two hours, before I let them get back to work, and Riv to sleep. I needed some sleep as well. It had been a long and eventful round.
Chapter 47 A New Mission
