“We will wait for Leyland to return and then decide what’s next.”
“You are still tied to his apron strings like a child waiting for permission.”
“We will wait. We will have to wait.”
*
“The compressors are overdue, they should have arrived several hours ago.” Captain Stone said.
For most of the last hour Stone had been arguing with the chandlers at the port. Simmons did not allow anyone to enter or leave the spaceship, as such Stone could not accept delivery of the provisions he had ordered. The chandlers were refusing to allow the compressors to be delivered unless both they and the provisions were paid for before delivery. Stone refused to do that because the chandler could easily deliver substandard provisions or a broken compressor and there would be very little that Stone could do about that.
“No, we would still not be able to take delivery of the compressors yet, but we ...”
Stone paused as the person at the chandlers interrupted him. Seána Mercer hid a grin at his obvious discomfort.
“Yes, but you don’t understand the position I’m in.” Stone said. “I have orders to make preparations to leave the instant that the negotiations are concluded. I cannot do that without the compressors installed and tested.”
Stone paused. Mercer could see the white of his hand as it clenched into an impotent fist.
“Of course I would not skip from the system without paying my bills. I have an A class rating.”
Stone kneaded his forehead.
“The A class rating is based on my reputation as a Captain.” Stone said. “It doesn’t matter that I no longer command a cruise ship.”
“That’s right.” Stone said finally. “I will contact you again when we are in a position to take delivery. Thank you.”
Stone disconnected the comms. He looked at it for a long moment before glancing at Mercer.
“We might be here for a while longer unless Simmons allows us to accept provisions.”
Chapter Twenty
Leyland had spent the afternoon shopping. He bought a long black leather coat to help him blend in. The coat was scarred from acid rain, it seemed to be in fashion to buy clothes which were pre-scarred. Most of the people walking past him on the walkway were wearing similar gear. Leyland wondered how many of them were genuinely scarred and how many were fashion statements. It was a reflection of the people, how shallow they were that they accepted scarred clothes as proof of how brave they were. Leyland shook his head.
He had lost the four men following him. He had paused earlier next to a subway entrance waiting for the wail of the klaxon announcing the arrival of another acid rain storm. However when the shields were raised, he hid in a convenient coffee shop. He was amused to watch the four men scurry across the walkway, when the shields lowered again, and disappear into the subway with a frantic haste.
Leyland had two more appointments before he had to return to his ship. Both of the men were senators and both had come from the Dunstead list.
Leyland stepped into a restaurant. He instantly recognised the senator, Senator Roose. His signature beaked nose had been a popular caricature in the local press, something that he capitalised on. Roose nodded towards a privacy booth and Leyland joined him. Roose keyed the privacy settings and the glass in the booth turned opaque.
Leyland keyed a command on his Pulsaro wrist computer.
“Sweep for bugs and secure the area for conversation.” Leyland said.
He watched the dial on the Pulsaro range through different frequencies.
“The area is now secure.” The Pulsaro announced.
“Thank you for joining me Senator Roose.”
“I was intrigued by the request.” Roose said. “I have never seen someone go through such a convoluted process to contact me. What can I do for you?”
“As an off-worlder, the protections for lobbyists do not apply to me.” Leyland said. “Any offers to you would be considered as a bribe, whether it’s a promise of a future job, a payment for a speaking engagement, or indeed contributions to your political campaign. I cannot be seen as lobbying to you directly.”
“So why have you jumped through so many hoops to contact me?” Roose asked.
“I can’t bribe you directly however I have had assurances from Hailsten Shipyards that they will be interested in offering your wife a position of vice chair in one of their many consultancy programmes.” Leyland said. “It is an exciting and very lucrative opportunity for your wife which of course will be suitable to her abilities.”
“Suitable to her abilities?” Roose said. “She spends her day taking care of our children and running our household.”
“You would be surprised how much of that experience would translate.” Leyland said. “She is good at working within a budget, choosing between discretionary and non-discretionary spending. Reducing spending. Negotiation tactics. Accepting productive conflict. This is a good opportunity for her and I would like to offer you the chance to accept this offer on her behalf in exchange for a few votes.”
“How lucrative are we talking?”
“Very.”
“What are the votes?”
“The first one is to allow the asteroids in the Soros solar system to be confirmed as uncontested.” Leyland said. “This would actually be a popular move as it would remove one of the stumbling blocks of a lasting peace between Soros and Jewel.”
“I wasn’t aware that it was a stumbling block.” Roose said.
“It will be.” Leyland replied. “I will ensure there are several articles in the screamsheets over the next few days complaining how the asteroids are a stumbling block to lasting peace. You will be at the forefront of a political wave.”
“I am not sure if this would be popular.”
“Did I mention that the consultancy job is very, very lucrative?”
“What is the second vote?” Roose asked.
“There is a vote in the next few days to allow people to buy their rental property.” Leyland said. “We want you to support this. The senator asking for this vote is on the appropriations committee so it’s to our advantage to support him.”
“Why does he want people to buy their rental property?”
“The housing market will crash the year after they purchase the property and force them to sell off.” Leyland said. “The senator on the appropriations committee will make billions on this.”
“So two votes and my wife gets the consultancy package.”
“Just two votes, it’s cheap at half the price.”
*
“We put them in, we take them out, we put them in again.” David Rawlins said.
For some reason the metal ducts felt smaller than previously. James Rivan pushed at the compressor. Every wire and trailing hook seemed to catch on the metal grates in the ducts and he was sweating very heavily by the time the compressor was in place.
“Captain Stone wants us to put the compressors back in, even though they’re inefficient, because he doesn’t want us left helpless on the dock of this space station. Right?” Rivan asked.
Rawlins nodded his head.
“So when the new compressors arrive, he’s going to ask us to rip the old ones out and insert the new compressors.” Rivan said.
“That’s right, but that will be the last time.” Rawlins said.
“If we know we’re going to be removing and putting the compressors back in, can we set up some sort of trolley to make it all easier for us?”
“That would defeat the purpose of all this hard work.” Rawlins said. He thought for a moment. “The compressors are too wide to ride on a trolley. On the other hand we could instead rig up a railing to hold the weight so it’s easier to pull. That’s actually a really good idea.”
Rivan beamed a big smile.
“We would to have to make a few changes.” Rawlins said. He pulled at his lower lip. “The grating in the duct is too weak to hold the weight but if we punched a hole through the duct and exten
d a wire up to the bulkhead ceiling, that would be sufficient to hold the weight of a railing. We can hang the compressors to that railing.”
“So it can be done?” Rivan asked.
“Let’s get these compressors back in place first.” Rawlins said.
He lifted the compressor to allow it to slide into place. Rivan handed him an adjustable spanner and Rawlins spent a few minutes reconnecting each of the compressors.
“Lieutenant Hammond told me about your wife dying and that was the reason why you killed those pirates.” Rivan said.
Rawlins froze for a moment before continuing to connect the various pipes and wires.
“I understand why you killed all those pirates, but I’m still trying to come to terms with it.” Rivan said.
Rawlins put the spanner on the floor and sat back eyeing Rivan.
“How to explain to someone that wasn’t there.” Rawlins said. “I was part of the marines that served during the war with Jewel. I was one of those people who attacked the enemy, not as front line soldiers like Lieutenant Hammond, our group was sent in first as the advance marine scouts. We were the first to see the enemy, sometimes through sniper scopes, sometimes face to face in a dark corridor. It meant that we lived through what was the worst of the war. I’m not saying this to excuse us but some of my friends did not take the stress well. To help us cope with the stress, the government allowed us to bring our families closer to the front lines.”
Rawlins was silent for a moment, reflecting on the past.
“They called them pirates but everyone says that they were privateers paid by the Jewel government to attack us where we were weakest. To attack our families.”
“I understand.” Rivan said.
“No you don’t understand.” Rawlins said, his voice tired. “We trusted our government to protect us. They failed us. We didn’t get all the pirates, some are still out there, but we got their leaders.”
“So now you kill any pirates you meet?” Rivan asked.
“We don’t set out to hunt them down.” Rawlins said. “But we won’t let them escape again. Now let me work on this in peace. I don’t trust these people in Jewel and we may need these compressors if there is any trouble.”
*
“Mr Simmons, I’ve not had word back from Mr Leyland.” Rosie Ire said.
Paul Simmons was careful not to roll his eyes. For the last several hours Ire had repeatedly discredited Leyland, pointing out his failures and raising concerns about his loyalty. As Simmons had refused to allow any crew off the spaceship, he couldn’t escape her repeated attacks.
“He still has a number of senators to contact.” Simmons said. “I’m sure that he will be returning shortly.”
“I have heard from one of the senators I’ve contacted. He said that Leyland is in discussions with Charles Sammy.” Ire said.
“Who is Charles Sammy?”
“He is one of the most outspoken senators calling for the resumption of the war against us.” Ire said. “He has argued for an increase in spending on the space navy and calls us pirates. He demands that all Soros shipping be boarded and confiscated.”
“The senator you spoke to was sure that Leyland was talking to this Charles Sammy?” Simmons asked.
“The senator was convinced.” Ire said. “He said that Sammy was talking about our intention to allow the asteroids to be uncontested. Sammy was also asking the senator for his vote.”
“Did the senator agree?”
“He’s one of the senators who is still waiting for our statement. He is not willing to commit to us until he sees what we are offering.”
“So if we can make a better offer to the senator, then we get his vote.” Simmons said. “Sometimes I hate politicians.”
“Are we able to make a better offer to the senator?” Ire asked.
“Without doing something illegal, that might be difficult.”
*
“What do you mean the goods are spoiled?” Captain Stone asked. “They arrived on the concourse and stayed for less than an hour.”
Seána Mercer rolled her eyes. Stone had contacted each of the companies who had sent the provisioning direct instead of contacting them through the chandlers. Every company had responded by saying that their goods were spoiled and needed compensation. Clearly someone had spoken to the companies in advance and ensured they had the same prepared story.
“You will need to arrange a new delivery of provisions if you wish to be paid.” Stone said.
He listened for a few moments longer before closing the connection. He glanced over at Mercer.
“No smirking Mercer.” Stone said. “It is unbecoming.”
“I am not smirking Captain.” Mercer said. “I am a naturally happy person. It is a nice day, the sun is shining. Besides I’m not the one who will be explaining to twenty Peace Officers why their ration will be short for the week it takes us to return to Soros.”
“We are in space, the sun always shines.” Stone said. He sighed. “I’ve spoken to Simmons again. He told me I’m the Captain and it is my job to sort it out. He also said that the restrictions on leaving the spaceship are still in place, at least for today that is.”
“It’s probably a good thing.” Mercer said. “You looked like you could go over and strangle the man at the chandlers earlier.”
“It might come to that.” Stone said. “He is threatening to impound our ship and take us to court for the unpaid provisioning.”
“Why don’t we pay then?”
“If we pay then we are admitting liability and I will lose my A+ rating.” Stone said. “Besides this is not normal. There is someone behind the scenes manipulating everyone to put pressure on us.”
“What if they impound the ship or stop us leaving?” Mercer asked.
“They won’t.” Stone said. “If they want to restart trading with us then they wouldn’t do that. It’s a very risky and stupid move they’re doing as they must know that I’ll inform everyone back home about this. It could even lead to war again. Stupider things have happened.”
“They might not care about that.”
“That would be even more stupid, who would want to risk a war.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“I’ve encountered several problems.” Mike Leyland said. “The senators are starting to shy away from me. There is another senator, Senator Sammy, who is working against me.”
“That would be Senator Charles Sammy.” Paul Simmons said.
Rosie Ire sat next to Simmons in the stateroom and stirred slightly when she heard the name. She didn’t say anything however.
“That’s correct.” Leyland said. He paused for a moment as he pressed a few buttons on his wrist Pulsaro. “I’m just sending you some background on him.”
An icon popped up on Simmons’s Pulsaro computer.
“His fortunes were lost during the opening salvoes of the Jewel-Soros conflict.” Leyland said. “They were caught in a crossfire and naturally he blames us. He has since worked himself to a position of power and influence. Ironically he is also working to free Hailsten Shipyards from the appropriations committee, but that’s because he wants those navy ships to help defeat our planet.”
“Have you met with him?” Simmons asked.
Leyland hesitated.
“No I’ve not actually met him yet. I have seen him, he was leaving the offices of one of the senators you asked me to approach. He recognised me and tried to stop me to talk but I withdrew to the street. If you want for me to have a face to face talk with him then I will but I’m not sure if there would be an advantage to us to do that.”
Ire waved for attention but Simmons motioned for her to stay quiet.
“What is your next move?” Simmons asked.
“The obvious move for me is to continue to contact senators and hope that I can persuade them to support us.” Leyland said. “I have forwarded a breakdown of the section of the chart I am working on. It is keyed for your eyes only. I have highlighted in blue the connecti
ons between senators where I have had some success and in red the connections I still need to work on. Do you still want me to return for that face to face?”
Simmons opened a document on his Pulsaro computer. He waved Ire away. The sheet containing Hailsten shipyards was heavily marked in red.
“Have you given up on Paula Hailsten?” Simmons asked.
“Not as yet.” Leyland said. “I am willing to keep the lines of communications open. I think she has more influence that she suggests, but I no longer want to rely on her support.”
Piece of Nicias: A Sci-Fi Novel Page 14
