by Jaleta Clegg
"Yancy Bearmarton," Clark answered. "He won't be off shift until tomorrow, though."
"So why is it so urgent we go down?"
"If I knew, I'd tell you."
"Bobo?" Louie asked hopefully.
"Not yet," Jasyn told her son.
The other passengers, mostly offshift workers, talked among themselves. Clark and Jasyn got a few curious looks but nothing more. Louie got more than his share of smiles. Babies were rare on the drydock stations.
"How old is he?" the woman across the aisle leaned over to ask Jasyn.
Jasyn turned away, drawn into a conversation about babies with the woman and her friends. Clark closed his eyes again.
He was tired. They'd been pushing too long, trying to do too much. Worrying about Dace hadn't helped anyone. What game was she playing? Jasyn was convinced Lowell was behind it, but Clark doubted that. But if not Lowell, who was? And why? And what could he do to stop it? Nothing, if they got stuck on Tebros.
He drifted into a light doze. In his mind, he heard Dace talking. She told him he was late. She was counting on him to be there, but he was too late. He woke up, seeing her shadow fade as she walked away from him, around a corner where he couldn't follow.
The shuttle was touching down. The dream left him unsettled. A sense of futility filled him. Were they too late? How could they have chosen differently? Would it have mattered if they'd stayed closer to Besht instead of traveling so far out? He couldn't believe that. Dace's luck would have dragged them all in, no matter where they were. Nothing would have prevented her getting involved. He almost wished Lady Rina was there to read her cards and give him some answers. Any clue would help, instead of fumbling around in the dark.
He stayed in his seat, letting the others leave. Jasyn unbelted Louie and held him on her lap. He fussed. She cradled him, hushing him. Clark dug through the bag until he found a bottle and handed it to her. Louie took it eagerly.
"You need help?" he asked Jasyn as he stood. The last of the other passengers were walking out the hatch.
She shook her head. She held Louie, still drinking his bottle, and stood gracefully. He stepped back, letting her in front of him. She walked out of the hatch and down the boarding ramp, covered against the chilly winter weather outside.
"Where now?" he asked, when they were inside the echoing space of the main terminal.
"Someone was going to meet us here," she said, "at least that's what the note said."
"I think I know who." He gestured across the room.
The eye twisting combination of orange and lavender was hard to miss. Leon waved and grinned as he hurried towards them.
"Why is he here?" Jasyn asked. "He was supposed to be on Besht two weeks ago. Why do I pay him so much?"
"Because he's that good," Clark answered. "He must have a good reason to be here."
"We aren't going to know what it is until we talk to him. I'm so tired of this," Jasyn muttered.
Clark put his arm around her, giving quiet support.
Leon met them halfway across the wide terminal. His grin was wide, as usual, but his heart wasn't in it.
"Leon, what a surprise," Jasyn said. "I thought you were going ahead of us to Besht."
"There was a slight problem," Leon said, digging a finger into his ear. "I couldn't get past the border."
"With all of your contacts and influence? I am surprised."
"Well, I could get across, but it wouldn't have done anyone any good. The Empire has declared me a wanted criminal. And I didn't even do anything." He sounded offended.
"What else do you know?" Clark asked.
"You didn't get my messages? I left several around."
"We've been trying to get here as fast as we could," Jasyn said.
"Which is why you blew your engines. I got you help there," Leon said.
"We noticed. And we're paying premium for it." Jasyn wasn't happy with Leon, it was obvious by the look on her face.
"They were supposed to charge you reduced rates," Leon said. "I'm going to have to talk with Fenwick about that."
"Forget it, Leon," Jasyn said. "Just tell me you made contact with someone. Tell me the truth about Dace."
Leon shook his head. His thin hair didn't move. It was glued together into a sculpted curl at the top of his head. "I'd love to, Jasyn, but I'd be lying. I haven't been able to make any contacts across the border."
Jasyn's face tightened as she shifted Louie to her shoulder. He smacked his lips sleepily.
"Look, Jasyn, I've been working nonstop on this. I can't make any progress. Emphasis on I. You can. There are rumors of a smuggling operation. I can't get any details on it, only that it exists. Maybe with your contacts, you can get in."
Jasyn nodded. There were no angry words, no sharp mutters. They wouldn't have done any good.
"Then I need to make contact," she said. "Is the office still open?"
"Which one? You own seventeen different businesses on Tebros. And five others are headquartered here."
"What?" She was genuinely shocked.
"I diversified for you. Most of their management was caught on the other side of the border. I offered to help. For a fee, of course."
"And you wonder why I have such a bad reputation?" Jasyn shook her head.
"A very small fee," Leon offered.
"And it probably hurt to lower it that far," Clark said.
"It was for the good of the people. Most of the companies ship food and essentials. There are outposts and colonies that will die without regular shipments." Leon shifted foot to foot. "And it was a very small fee."
"And you can sell them for a small fee when someone offers," Jasyn said.
"It might be worthwhile to hold onto them," Clark said.
"We don't need more businesses, we're rich enough already. Didn't you just tell me that on the ship?"
"But we can trust Leon to run them right," Clark said. "This way we know the goods will get where they need to go. And at a reasonable price."
"Of course," Leon said, puffing himself up. "I wouldn't dream of gouging anyone. Unless they deserved it."
"Then let's figure out how to gouge some people," Jasyn said.
Leon looked up at Clark. "Your wife is one dangerous woman."
"That's what makes living with her so exciting."
"I think I'll stay single." Leon headed towards the exit from the terminal.
"I thought you had a wife," Jasyn said.
"A long time ago. She was more than happy to divorce me after I got mixed up with you. I've never been happier."
Leon had a groundcar waiting for them. Leon opened the door for Jasyn. She got in, tucking the sleeping baby on her lap. Clark sat next to her. Leon took the seat in the front. He punched in a destination and sat back, half turned in his seat to look at them. The groundcar rolled away from the terminal.
"Tell me everything you know about the smuggling ring," Jasyn prompted.
"All I know is that it exists," Leon answered. "A shipment shows up every once in a while that's stamped for some destination or origin inside the Empire. I asked questions the first time. I was told to keep my mouth shut and maybe I'd get to keep my head in one piece."
"You didn't pry further?" Jasyn sounded skeptical.
"Considering who was threatening me, no, I didn't."
"Who?" Clark took his turn prompting Leon.
"The governor of Tebros."
"Who happens to be a member of the Gullfinch clan." Jasyn sank back in her seat in defeat. "We'll never get anything from him."
"Why not?" Leon asked.
"Because his clan has been feuding for the last four hundred years over some trade contracts with my clan. He won't give me anything."
"Not for free," Clark said. "What if we give him something he really wants?"
"Like a dozen local businesses?" Jasyn smiled. "That might work."
"We won't know until we try."
"I'll draw up the paperwork," Leon said with a sigh. "You do know how much
you're throwing away, don't you? Millions of credits."
"I have millions more," Jasyn said.
"You won't if you keep giving it away," Leon said.
"And so what if I do? I've lived poor before, I can do it again. Money is just money, Leon."
"That's the point, sweetheart."
"You can find some way to buy them back, if you want," Jasyn offered. "But only if you promise to do it legally. I don't want a new feud on my hands. The old ones are bad enough."
"Me? Do something illegal?" Leon said in mock offense .
"How about dishonest?" Clark offered.
"I've never cheated in my life."
"Then how about sneaky, devious, and underhanded?" Jasyn said.
"That, I can do," Leon said with a grin.
"Just don't start a clan war," Jasyn said.
The groundcar pulled up in front of an impressive looking building.
"Your corporate headquarters on Tebros," Leon said. "I bought it for a song. It went up on the block for nonpayment of taxes. No one else had the cash."
"What did you do with the old one?" Jasyn asked.
Leon squirmed.
"Don't make me hit you, Leon," Jasyn threatened.
"I donated it as a temporary shelter for refugees." He cringed away from her.
She smiled and patted his head. "I should kiss you for that."
"I'll do it for you," Clark offered.
"Get away from me." Leon's face was red with embarrassment.
"Just when I thought I had you figured for a complete and utter weasel," Clark teased.
"It was a good tax writeoff," Leon protested. "And it got me a few favors."
"And the truth is that you really do have a heart," Jasyn said.
"I try not to let it show," Leon said. He got out of the groundcar before they could embarrass him more.
He opened the door for Jasyn. She carried Louie into the building. Clark followed her, toting the bag of baby items. Leon followed them both.
The inside of the building hummed with activity. A large sign plastered on the wall read Pai Importing and Shipping Conglomerate.
"I had to name it something," Leon muttered.
"You can change it later," Jasyn said. "After I have a chance to think of something better."
The man behind the desk saw Leon and snapped to attention. He looked curiously at Jasyn and Clark.
"The owners," Leon mouthed to him.
"Welcome," he said and smiled broadly at them. "Your offices are this way." He dropped two earpieces and a microphone on the desk and hurried out from behind it.
Jasyn didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Her look at Leon said it all. He shrugged and trailed behind as the man led them through the building.
Their offices were located on the top floor in a corner. Wide windows looked over the city. The rooms, two adjoining ones, looked completely unused.
"Will you be needing anything?" the man asked.
"No, thank you," Jasyn said.
"I come here sometimes, to think," Leon said after the man had left. "There's a secure com line installed in the desk," he added.
"Just to think?" Clark asked.
"There's a cot in the closet," Leon said. "He must be getting heavy by now." He gestured at Louie, sound asleep in Jasyn's arms.
"Just to think?" Clark repeated.
"All right, I hide here when I need some quiet. You have no idea how much time I spend taking care of things. Day and night, there's always some emergency."
"And you love it," Jasyn said.
Clark pulled the cot out of the closet and unfolded it. He took Louie from Jasyn and settled him on it.
"Now, to business," he said.
"I'll call the governor's office," Jasyn said.
"And I'll check on the ship," Clark said.
He got through almost immediately. Jasyn and Leon kept their heads together at the other desk. Clark leaned back in his chair.
"Day after tomorrow, but late," he said. "All the parts are in stock. Beryn said they have at least a dozen engineers climbing through the ship. There were a few comments on the engines."
Jasyn shrugged. The Phoenix had engines that were closer to standard for a Patrol courier, not a freighter.
"We're waiting," she said to Clark.
"You want me to see who I know in the city?" he offered.
"It can't hurt," she said.
It was quiet in the office for the next couple of hours. Clark placed a few calls and tapped into the planet's datanet. Jasyn waited at the desk, talking sometimes to people on the com. She finally hung up in frustration.
"He's doing it deliberately," she said.
Leon stared out the windows, his hands deep in the glaring pink pockets of his suit.
"I found a few leads, maybe," Clark said. "Whoever is behind the ring is keeping it completely silent. Which means—"
"Crime syndicate, which I doubt," Leon said, "or it's the government itself. No one else can keep anything that quiet."
"Governments don't keep secrets very well," Clark pointed out.
"They do if it's vital enough," Leon said.
"True," Clark agreed.
A knock at the door startled all three of them. Louie blinked his eyes open and started to cry. Clark picked him up while Leon opened the door.
The secretary from the front desk was there, looking scared. He rolled his eyes to the side. "He insisted on seeing you. In person."
Garvin Messier, governor of Tebros, walked into the room and shut the door in the face of the secretary. He left his people in the hall outside.
"We need to talk," he said.
Chapter 31
"Are you sure about this?" Deena asked nervously.
"Trust me. She'll talk to us." Scholar knocked on the door.
"I still don't know how you managed to get the private numbers."
"You don't want to know." He knocked again. The mansion was oddly quiet.
"Tell me again why you need me here," Deena said.
"Because I need you to back me up and convince—"
The door swung open. A man dressed in black livery looked at them politely. "Yes?"
"Remember me? Dace's cousin?" Scholar said. "I'd like to see her, please."
The man flicked a measuring glance over Deena. "I'm sorry, but Miss Dace is not here."
The news vid cameras slid closer, alerted that something was happening. The man stepped back, pulling the door open. He motioned them inside. He didn't speak again until the door was closed firmly behind them.
"Some things are better kept private," he said. "As I was saying, Dace isn't here right now. She's off planet for a few days."
His manner changed after the door was closed. Scholar thought it odd.
"Do you wish to leave her a note?" the man asked.
This was a complication Scholar hadn't planned for. He was slipping. He shook his head. "Just tell her that her cousin came by. This is my mother." He gestured at Deena.
"If you say so," the butler said. He wasn't buying their story.
"You don't believe me," Scholar said.
"That you are Dace's cousin? That is a remote possibility, but that the well-known actress Dariana Grace is your mother? That one is a bit too much of a stretch." The butler folded his arms and waited.
"I told you it wouldn't work," Deena said. "We should just go."
"Maybe we should," Scholar agreed.
"I think we need to talk," the butler said. "Come to the kitchen and I'll find us something to drink."
Deena gave Scholar an uncertain look. He shrugged and followed the butler. She trailed behind him.
The kitchen was large, a comfortable mix of modern equipment and old charm. The floor was stone, the walls painted a soft yellow. The butler waved them to a seat at the round table in the middle of the room.
"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked.
"Do you want to tell us why you invited us in?" Scholar asked. He was still standing, though Deena sat
down.
"Because I want to talk to you and I know back here we won't be overheard." The butler turned on a heating unit. The low hum filled the room. He smiled in satisfaction and sat at the table. "That should take care of any bugs."
"Are they a problem here?" Scholar asked.
"That depends on who is doing the listening. The name's Olin." The butler stuck out his hand.
"And my name is really Henrius Grey." Scholar shook the proffered hand. "And as you guessed, this is Dariana Grace."
"You have me curious," Olin said to Deena as Scholar sat down. "Why are you here? What possible connection do you have?"
Deena looked to Scholar. He shrugged and nodded. "Tell him if you want. I think we can trust him."
Olin laughed. "You checked me out. I knew someone had."
"You had quite a security net around your information," Scholar admitted. "It took some work to crack. I thought I hadn't left a trail, though."
"Not much of one," Olin said. "And I thought that net was unbreakable."
Scholar grinned. "For almost everyone, yes, but not for me."
"And that is why Commander Lowell pays you so well." Olin smiled at Scholar's sudden surprise. "You aren't the only one to crack codes, Henrius Grey."
"If you know who I work for, why haven't you turned me in?"
"Because I do not believe Commander Lowell is committing treason," Olin said. "Dace is playing a very dangerous game."
"Which is why I'm here," Scholar said.
"She's the target and you're the real threat," Olin said. "Interesting strategy. What I can't figure is why you are here." He turned back to Deena.
"I'm not sure myself," Deena admitted. She turned to Scholar.
"Because Dace isn't really marrying Vance," Scholar said. "It's all part of the game."
Olin raised one eyebrow.
"Believe me or not, it's the truth," Scholar said.
"Then she plays her part very well," Olin murmured.
"She should be marrying Tayvis," Deena blurted out. "At least that's what he keeps telling me." She waved her hand at Scholar.
"And Tayvis would be?" Olin waited again.
"My son. My real son," she added with a glance at Scholar.
Olin sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. "This just gets worse. Why did you bring her into this?"
