Calculated Risk

by Zen DiPietro

  4

  Cabot had a bad feeling about Ditnya’s rendezvous. He didn’t like not knowing who the contact was or what they might be offering.

  He wasn’t accustomed to being kept in the dark.

  Ditnya had requested Nagali’s presence at the meeting, which also concerned him simply because it was strange. He joined the others in the meeting room to wait for their visitor.

  Pigie sat next to Ditnya, looking eager. Cabot let Omar take the other seat next to Ditnya, then seated himself next to Omar. That put Nagali to Cabot’s left and as far from Ditnya as possible.

  Cabot opened his mouth to speak, but a member of Ditnya’s crew he didn’t recognize arrived outside the door with a middle-aged Rescan man.

  The man held a box, and Cabot’s curiosity shifted into overdrive. As the newcomer sat, Ditnya spoke.

  “This is Anzi. He and I have worked together a great many years. He does a great deal of trade in Zankarti’s quadrant of the galaxy, and sometimes he hears things. When I asked him about the system, he said we were in luck.”

  She focused on Anzi. “I hope you’re not going to disappoint me.”

  “Perish the thought,” Anzi said in all seriousness. “When you asked about Zankarti, I was surprised. Just a month ago I came across an item. A treasure, really, but with that system seeing a lot of action these days, it’s not a place I want to be. Getting caught in PAC versus Barony crossfire would be just my luck. So I put the treasure aside, in the hope that better days ahead might allow me to broker a deal. However, I think it would serve you much better to have it now.”

  He stood, rounded the table, and placed the box in front of Ditnya before returning to his seat.

  Ditnya ignored the package. “Tell me about it.”

  Anzi took a breath. “I received it in a mixed lot of historical artifacts. Nothing famous, just old things. Except for this. I couldn’t identify it. It looked much like an ancient Kanaran food bowl, but this is shallower and has an engraving pattern that’s unlike anything Kanaran. I couldn’t find the pattern anywhere else, either, until I came upon an obscure reference to a Zankarti ritual offering bowl. After some digging, I came up with a close match. The bowl is different, but the engraving is exactly the same.”

  Nagali sat up straight, vibrating with energy, and Cabot understood why Ditnya had wanted her along.

  Ditnya pushed the box to Omar, her eyes on Nagali. “Let her examine it.”

  Omar scooted the box to Cabot, who slid it over to Nagali.

  Cabot considered the possibility that Ditnya might be transferring any dangers that might be inside the box to Nagali in addition to looking for her expertise.

  Nagali rested her hands on the box, looking at Ditnya. Was she going to needle Ditnya, or demand something in return for her examination?

  After a long, tense moment, Nagali opened the package. Carefully, she lifted out the bowl and set it in front of her, pushing the box aside.

  From somewhere within the folds of her dress, she extracted a magnifying tool and leaned close.

  She scrutinized the top, then the outer perimeter, then she turned the bowl over and looked at that, too. Then she pulled another tool out of her dress and extended it toward the bowl.

  Anzi leaned forward. “That won’t harm it, will it?”

  Nagali made a scoffing sound. “Do you not recognize a laser spectrometer? This will let me assess the chemical composition without harming the piece.”

  Anzi shifted uncomfortably. “That doesn’t look like any laser spectrometer I’ve seen.”

  “Yes, well,” Nagali said without looking at him, “this is cutting-edge scientist grade. It’s the only way to rule out antiquity fakes.”

  Pride in her particular knowledge of the galaxy’s ancient relics surged through Cabot. Never mind that more often than not, she dealt in stolen goods. He doubted anyone knew more about authenticating such pieces.

  Nagali tucked her devices back into her dress, and before Cabot could get too fascinated about exactly where they were going, she casually tucked the bowl into the box and gave it a hard push toward Anzi. “It’s a good fake, but a fake all the same. You could get a couple hundred cubics for it as a modern reproduction, or you could make some decent money on selling it as authentic. Chances are, you’d get away with it.”

  Anzi’s shoulders dropped. “That’s probably why it was in with that lot, then. I’d hoped someone just hadn’t realized what they had.”

  If Ditnya was disappointed, she didn’t show it. “It’s a shame, but it did seem too good to be true. But you said you had some information, as well?”

  Anzi straightened. “Yes. It’s a closely guarded secret that Barony has occupied the fourth planet in the Zankarti system, with the government’s blessing. They’re paying for the pleasure, but no one knows how or, more precisely, how much. The third moon of that planet is being used as a delivery post for a few select traders with close ties to Barony.”

  “Including you?” Ditnya asked.

  He bowed his head. “Yes. But between you and Barony, you know my loyalty lies with you.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Especially since you’re still half a million credits in my debt.”

  “Still?” Anzi asked. “I was hoping that this detour and the sharing of information would be worth something to you.”

  Ditnya nodded. “Indeed. I’ll deduct fifty thousand from your total once I’ve confirmed what you’ve said.”

  Anzi bowed his head again, this time in thanks. “I wish I had more for you, but if I get anything new, I’ll contact you immediately.”

  “Good. Maybe you can knock down the debt some more.” Her eyes fell on the box. “That won’t be of any use, so you can take it with you.”

  Anzi shrugged. “I don’t deal in fakes or reproductions. It’s not worth the cargo space. You can keep it, free of charge, as inspiration. Or just dispose of it.”

  “Very well. Stay well, Anzi.” Ditnya stood, signaling the end of his audience with her.

  “You too, Ms. Caine. I’m sure you’ll be victorious in your current endeavors, whatever they may be. You always are.”

  Ditnya smiled thinly. “That’s my plan.”

  The rest of them remained after a crewman ushered Anzi away.

  “At least we have an objective,” Ditnya said. “We’ll check out that moon and see what we can find out. Cabot, you can do your job as liaison by contacting PAC command and informing him of this development. If they have any information to corroborate or contradict what Anzi said, that would be useful.”

  She turned her attention to Nagali. “Thank you for your expertise.”

  Nagali smiled. “You’re welcome. Perhaps when all this is done, you’ll want to work with me, now that you’ve seen how good I am.”

  “Oh, there was never any doubt of that,” Ditnya returned. “The trouble is your unpredictability. That’s a problem for me.”

  Nagali shrugged. “I go with the flow, depending on the situation. It works out more often than not.”

  Cabot thought it best to end the conversation here, while Ditnya and Nagali remained on relatively good terms. “Would you like to go to the dining room after I report in to PAC command?”

  “No, thanks,” Nagali said. “I have other plans.”

  Other plans? What other plans could she have, stuck on this ship with no voicecom access? Was she playing hard to get?

  On his way to the door, Omar scooped up the box and tucked it in the crook of his arm. “I can dispose of this if you like.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Nagali snapped. “That’s a priceless antiquity.”

  All eyes went to her.

  “Say that again?” Omar said, eyeing the box warily.

  “That is a ten-thousand-year-old Zankarti ritual offering bowl, in nearly pristine condition. It’s worth about three-quarters of a million cubics.”

  Omar froze in place, his eyes panicked.

  Sighing, Nagali took it from him and put it down in
front of Ditnya. “I just saved you a small fortune.”

  “You lied?” Ditnya eyed the box.

  “Of course. Why tell the truth when a lie is more profitable?”

  “What if he’d taken the bowl with him?” Ditnya asked, looking mildly amused.

  “I’d have called my own bluff. He’s not my contact, so I don’t care if he hates me.”

  Ditnya chuckled. “You’re lucky it worked out. Anzi’s a valued contact. I wouldn’t have liked it if he suspected I’d been in on swindling him.”

  “He’s clueless and you’re richer for it. Plus, we have something the Zankarti will want. An all-around win, yes?” Nagali smiled smugly.

  “In this case, yes. Well done.”

  “Excellently done. Masterfully,” Nagali retorted. “And now, I’m going to make a dramatic exit, because this is a really good moment for me.”

  As foretold, she strode out, her chin held high and her gliding walk like that of royalty.

  “Oh, she’s going to be insufferable for a few days,” Omar muttered.

  “A few days?” Pigie piped up, breaking her silence up until that point. “Are you serious?”

  Cabot laughed. He chuckled all the way back to his cabin, and had to compose himself for his call to PAC command.

  He was pretty sure they wouldn’t get the joke.

  Admiral Erickson peered gravely at Cabot via the voicecom. “We’re aware of the increasing buildup in Zankarti. That area is getting hotter and hotter. We’ve sent ships that way to gather information. The trouble is, on two occasions, we’ve lost those ships. That system is being patrolled by Barony, and we’re keeping our distance to prevent provoking an all-out war before we’re ready.”

  “When will you be ready?” It was an impertinent question, given Cabot’s status and profession. However, it was also a critical one in terms of handling this situation. He didn’t want to get caught in the middle of a massive firefight.

  Erickson looked down, considering how much to divulge. “In the not-distant future. But we really need an idea of what kind of resistance we’ll be facing and whether Barony’s planning its own offensive. If we pull ships away to attack, they won’t be available to protect our own stations, outposts, and planets. We don’t want to leave our people with few defenses while we’re fighting Barony. For all we know, that’s their plan. Their occupation in Zankarti could be an elaborate ruse.”

  “So we need to see if they mean it, and if they do mean it, we need to get intelligence on what kind of firepower they have.”

  Erickson nodded. “That’s right. We believe Caine can get access to that kind of information in a way that won’t tip Barony off to what we know and what we’re planning.”

  “I see. I’ll pass the information on and will keep you informed. I hope we’ll have some good news for you soon.”

  “We could use some good news.” Erickson looked tired, like someone who had gone weeks without a proper night’s sleep.

  He probably had.

  “We’ll do our best. Cabot Layne out.” He cut the connection.

  Usually he didn’t announce his intention to cut off a voicecom call, but he felt a little more formal with a PAC admiral. Besides, it was kind of fun to pretend to be an actual part of the military machine he’d somehow gotten involved in.

  He might as well make the most of it.

  “I’m Ditnya Caine, that’s who.” Ditnya sat on the bridge next to Cabot, looking every bit the crime lord she was.

  Cabot sat beside her, waiting out the tense standoff with the man located on the moon base. The rest of the bridge crew also waited with expressions of ambivalence, but Cabot had the sense that everyone held their breath.

  The man on the screen stared at her. His terse demand for identification had returned an answer that no doubt was far more than he’d bargained for.

  “Ms. Caine.” The man, a human in his thirties, lost most of his anger but gained a bit of suspicion. “Of course, I know who you are. I guess that explains how you got past the patrol ships to get so close to our little moon.”

  “Yes,” Ditnya agreed. “I thought about blasting the ships all to bits because it would have been a lot easier, but that’s a bad way to open negotiations, even though they aren’t your ships.”

  The word perked him up, inspiring the light of greed to spark in his eyes. “Negotiations?”

  “I have an object of great monetary and cultural value to the Zankarti system. But this is a high-value item, and I won’t talk to just anyone. However, because I have no contacts in this system, I’m forced to go through the tiresome process of looking for an introduction.” Ditnya’s mouth tightened with distaste.

  “I’m Hane,” the man said quickly. “I’m sure I can be of help. If I can’t introduce you directly to the right buyer, I can introduce you to the person who can.”

  “And how much is that going to cost me?” Ditnya’s expression darkened further.

  “Depends on what you have and the dollar amount involved, but I’m happy to accept a percentage of the sale.”

  Ditnya sighed. “I’ll consider it, if you can convince me that you can do the job.”

  “I can come to your ship as soon as you’ve docked.”

  She stared at Hane. “Are you joking? No one boards my vessel. I’ll come there.”

  “Uhm, right. Apologies. I’ve cleared you for docking, and I’ll monitor your progress. As soon as the airlock opens, I’ll wait there for your arrival.”

  “Very well.” Ditnya killed the connection.

  Cabot smiled at her. “I like it when you throw your weight around.”

  She smirked at him. “When you crush a few planetary governments, you get a bit of a reputation.”

  He laughed. “What are you expecting on that moon?”

  “The usual. Waystations like that are all the same, even if they’re built in secret. No, scratch that, especially when they’re built in secret. We can expect someone to try to cheat us, possibly an attempted abduction aimed at me, and maybe an attempted knifing or two.”

  “Right. The usual.” This was, in fact, not at all usual for him, but he was in Ditnya’s world now, and he’d have to adjust to a new norm. “As the liaison with the PAC, I should go.”

  “I figured you’d say that. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll want Nagali along. Since we’re talking artifacts, I’ll want her to suss out any potential buyers to see if they smell like the real deal or a scam.”

  “She won’t let you hear the end of that, you know,” Cabot said. “Wanting her help.”

  “Yes. I know. I’ll deal with that as I must, down the line. I’ll bring Omar to help keep an eye on her. And we’ll have Kelvin and Astrid, too, to keep an eye out for attacks.”

  “Great.” He kept his antipathy for Kelvin to himself.

  “Don’t worry, Cabot,” Ditnya reassured him. “Compared to some of the things I’ve done, this is nothing.”

  “I feel like that’s supposed to make me feel better,” he mused. “It doesn’t. But don’t worry. I’m on board for whatever comes next.”

  She pointed at him. “I’ve decided I like the new you. I wasn’t sure at first. But if you keep it up, I might just offer you a job.”

  That struck him as funny, interesting, and disturbing, all at once. “I already have a job.”

  She shook her head. “Your little PAC shop? Be serious. Are you really happy with that?”

  “I was. Things are changing, though. I can only hope I’ll still be happy with it when I get back. Hopefully by then the emergency drills will be over.”

  “Mm. Wouldn’t count on that, but we’ll do our best.”

  “I should be armed, right?” he said it mostly for comedic effect, but a little bit just to be sure, too.

  “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

  He couldn’t decide if that answer was exciting or worrisome.

  For a newly constructed station and port, the way station wasn’t bad. Sure, the seams of the bulkheads and d
eck plates hadn’t been covered and he had to watch his step, but Cabot was impressed with how much had been constructed so quickly.

  Since the moon had very little atmosphere, the docking station wasn’t far above. Nothing had been built yet on the moon’s surface, but the station was complete, albeit not yet decently furnished.

  The place didn’t feel as down and dirty as Cabot had expected, though the people he saw as Hane led them through the corridors looked entirely untrustworthy. At least the people appeared to be Zankarti and not from the Barony Coalition, though Barony was no doubt employing them.

  He casually smoothed his tunic, feeling the pair of stingers at his waist. Kelvin led the group and Astrid brought up the rear. Omar walked next to Ditnya and Nagali, looking like the brawler version of himself rather than the easygoing guy he tended to portray.

  “If you’ll have a seat in here, I’ll be right with you. My associate should be here any minute.” In person, Hane looked a little older, probably because of the small scars on his cheeks. They gave him a weathered look that aged him.

  “How far away could they be on this makeshift wreck?” Nagali wondered.

  Omar gave her a warning look.

  Nagali sighed.

  Astrid stood just inside the door while Kelvin stood outside it. Cabot was glad for that particular arrangement. The past few days had done nothing to improve his relationship with Kelvin, who had switched to the night shift to avoid Cabot.

  “Here we are.” Hane returned with a slightly younger woman behind him.

  The room wasn’t really big enough for this many people, but it seemed no one had foreseen the need for a meeting room on this station.

  Cabot tucked that revelation away in case it became relevant later.

  “This is Rigby. She’s from Mayani Prime. That’s the closest planet to Mayani Minor, where the Barony Coalition is residing.” Hane gestured to the woman.

  Rigby nodded. “Hello. I’m a distribution specialist. I’ve been working here on the station to get it supplied and furnished, but I travel the system a great deal, facilitating the flow of commerce.”