Messinants

by S. H. Jucha

  “Get out, Major, before I have you up on charges for insubordination,” Emerson screeched.

  Liam exited Emerson’s office in carefully measured steps, without saying another word. The glass door slid closed behind him, and he was able to catch Emerson out of the corner of his eye, as he walked away. The commandant sat heavily in his chair, stuck his elbows on the desk, and buried his face in his hands.

  Looks like it’s going to be an open fight from now on, Commandant, Liam thought. He couldn’t perceive the outcome of the struggle that he had initiated, but he didn’t regret declaring which side he was on. I wonder if this is how Harbour feels, he pondered.

  -12-

  Stand Off

  Ituau Tulafono, the Spryte’s first mate, settled into her bridge chair aboard the mining ship. She’d returned from three days of downtime on the Belle and was feeling relaxed. Her comm panel chimed, and she tapped her board. “Ituau of the Spryte,” she said.

  “I’d say good morning, Ituau, if you’re operating by JOS time,” Evan Pendleton, the YIPS manager, said.

  “We are, Evan. How goes it at the YIPS?”

  “Business is booming, Ituau. That’s why I need to speak to Captain Cinders. Is he available?”

  “Affirmative, Evan, switching you now.”

  “Hello, Evan, how can I help you?” Jessie asked, after Ituau transferred the call.

  “How goes the work at Emperion, Captain?” Evan asked.

  “Better than last time, Evan. The transfer process is more efficient, and we’ve prepared more tanks aboard the Belle. Why?”

  “Do you have a return date planned yet, Captain?”

  Little alarm bells sounded in Jessie’s head, and he smelled opportunity. “I don’t think there’s any hurry for us, Evan. The Belle is an extraordinary place for downtime. My crews love her. Too bad the commandant’s edict kept you from visiting last time she was at the YIPS. Anyway, Captain Harbour and I are thinking we might be out here for another three months.”

  “Three months?” Evan repeated. His voice nearly squeaked, and Jessie bit back his chuckle.

  “At least three,” Jessie replied.

  “You couldn’t return sooner?” Evan asked.

  “Don’t see any reason to do that, Evan. Is there something you want to tell me?”

  “Okay, Captain, here’s the problem. Business is booming, and I’m starting to run low. In two months, metal ore processing at the YIPS will come to a halt without more slush. What will it take to get you to bring the Belle to the YIPS within the next thirty days?”

  “Make me an offer, Evan. But, remember, the Belle is Captain Harbour’s domain. As her business partner, I’ll be happy to present any offer to her that I feel is valuable.”

  Evan wasn’t fooled by Jessie’s posturing. He knew that once Jessie accepted his offer that the Belle was as good as on its way. When it came to business, Jessie led the partnership.

  When Jessie finished his negotiations with Evan, he placed a call to Harbour.

  “We’ve got an excellent opportunity, Harbour,” Jessie announced.

  “Wonderful, Jessie. I’d love to hear it … say over dinner at eighteen hundred hours?” Harbour replied.

  “You don’t want to hear it now?” Jessie asked.

  “I’ve got my hands full right now, Jessie. It’ll have to wait until this evening.”

  “See you for dinner,” Jessie replied, and tapped his desk console connection off.

  “One can see you’re extremely busy, Captain,” Yasmin said, hoisting her green high.

  The three empaths, Nadine, Lindsey, and Yasmin, who were meeting with Harbour, snickered and laughed.

  “You take your opportunities where you find them,” Harbour replied. She smiled at her friends, but there was a serious look in her eye. “The tenor of Jessie’s voice told me that his proposal is a business opportunity. That part I’m interested in hearing, but I want to be able to read him. A shift in economics is a potential lever in Pyre’s political environment, and I want to be aware of the possibilities.”

  Harbour’s fellow empaths sensed her seriousness, when Harbour shut down her emotional broadcast. Previously, the conversation had been about changes in the Belle to accommodate future families and their needs: education, healthcare, nutrition, and more. The exchange had been friendly and open, which allowed the four empaths to share their feelings about the subjects.

  That Harbour was seeing every business decision in light of its effect on the future of Pyrean politics was becoming more evident every day to the spacers, empaths, and residents aboard the colony ship. And, the captain was unapologetic about it.

  The day passed quickly for both captains, and Jessie was soon landing aboard the Belle and exiting his shuttle. Outside the bay’s airlock, Jessie shucked his vac suit, with the help of crew, who hung it in a cabinet’s harness for him.

  At the door to the captain’s quarters, Jessie knocked politely, and the door was promptly whisked open.

  “Captain Cinders, how nice to see you again,” Nadine said. “Please come in.”

  Jessie walked into the salon, noticing the table was set with elegant dishes and crystal glasses, which belonged to the original captains of the colony ship. Yasmin stood behind a chair and was motioning him to it.

  “Thank you, Nadine,” Jessie replied cheerfully.

  “Captain Harbour will be right with you, Captain,” Yasmin said. Then the two women left, quietly closing the door behind them.

  When Harbour entered the salon from her sleeping quarters, Jessie quickly stood. Harbour was wearing the skins decorated by Makana, which outlined her attractive figure. Her hair, which was longer than any spacer wore, curled around her neck and onto her shoulders. It glistened in the muted light.

  In contrast, Jessie felt undressed. He was wearing his usual attire of dark skins and a pair of clean captain’s coveralls. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt embarrassed by what he wore.

  “Special occasion that I’m not aware of, Harbour, an anniversary or birthday?” Jessie asked.

  “No, just dinner, Jessie. By the way, we’re serving ourselves tonight,” Harbour replied casually, as she took her own seat. “I’m preferring to keep business proposals private until I’ve had time to consider them,” she added.

  There was a moment or two of small talk, while they served themselves from the main dishes and carafes. A silence ensued, while Jessie relished the colony ship’s fresh food.

  Jessie was in the middle of a tasty salad, when Harbour asked, “What’s this business proposal?” She meant to throw Jessie off and read his emotions. Part of her hated doing it, but another part wanted to understand her role, and by extension the Belle’s, in the growing Pyrean economy.

  Jessie wiped his mouth and put down his utensil. “We’ve been offered a bonus from the YIPS to deliver the Belle’s load of slush within the next thirty days.” He picked up his drink and hoisted it briefly in Harbour’s direction before he relished a mouthful of sweet-tangy fruit juice.

  “That’s it?” Harbour asked. “Nearly seven months ago, we took the greatest load of slush to the YIPS that it had ever seen. Are you telling me that they’re running low again?”

  Jessie took another bite of his salad before he launched into his explanation. “When we delivered the first load, the YIPS was already behind in delivering many of its products. Remember that much of our slush is processed to provide the fuels that run the processing station. With our loads, the YIPS was able to catch up with backorders, but continued growth has created greater demand, and the YIPS is, once again, struggling to deliver.”

  “Growth from where? Be specific, Jessie,” Harbour requested.

  Jessie took the opportunity to finish the last couple of bites of salad and wash the food down with another sip of drink. He couldn’t put his finger on what was driving Harbour’s questions, but it was a side of her that he hadn’t seen.

  “You know about Lise’s agri-dome expansion and the new terminal
arms for the JOS,” Jessie said, and Harbour nodded. “There are two other factors driving YIPS demand. First is investment capital. Certain stationers are doing financially well with downside trade. They’ve got coin to invest.”

  “Is there a place or industry where that coin is going?” Harbour asked.

  “Yes, mining,” Jessie replied. “Most mining ships return a modest profit with hauls of even common aggregate, especially if they have the equipment to do some basic processing onsite. Then there are the captains who hit the rare or heavy metal deposits. They can bring enormous profits to the owners. All in all, it’s a safe investment, if there’s a qualified captain and a good ship. The owner has the added bonus of sitting comfortably aboard the JOS, while the captain and crew take the risks.”

  “What’s the second factor?” Harbour asked. She had continued to work her way through the meal, while Jessie talked.

  “The next is a critical factor for topsiders and downsiders,” Jessie replied. He’d picked up his utensil but placed it back down. “The downsiders are building another agri-dome, but they also need more habitat domes. In addition, the JOS is running out of cabin and entrepreneurial space.”

  “Doesn’t that mean more opportunity for us?” Harbour asked.

  “Yes, in the interim, but not in the long run,” Jessie replied.

  “How so?” Harbour asked, slicing into some roasted vegetables and savoring them. She could detect Jessie’s longing. He was hungry and wanted to eat, but she was intentionally keeping him from doing that.

  “The domes, the JOS, and the investors are competing for the YIPS output. In addition, the investors are pressuring the JOS to focus on more terminal arms for ships rather than expanding cabin and shop space. Word is that three of the ships planned to be built will be patterned on the Pearl.”

  “They’ll be coming here,” Harbour said.

  “Yes, although they won’t be serious competition. No, the real problem is the YIPS. It can’t keep up with demand, even if there were two colony ships delivering slush and twice as many mining ships delivering ore. The YIPS needs to expand.”

  “Is that a challenge? Can’t they just add on?” Harbour asked.

  “The process won’t work that way, Harbour. You can add more tanks and bays here and there to handle deliveries, but you can’t insert more smelting furnaces into the existing system, without curtailing output. Essentially, what the YIPS needs to do is create another processing station. That’s an enormous undertaking, which will take a couple of decades.”

  “And the YIPS will be competing against the domes, the JOS, and the investors for their own output,” Harbour surmised.

  “Exactly,” Jessie said.

  “So, who wins in this competition?” Harbour asked.

  “The question might be: Who loses?” Jessie replied. “Now, you understand some of the reasons for the recent political machinations. These various individuals are looking ahead and trying to position themselves to control the direction of expansion. The domes are trapped on the planet with only one means of moving people and goods. They’re dependent on the JOS, and the downsiders hate that. That goes double for the governor and the family heads. The JOS needs the domes, but what if a second personnel station is created?”

  “Where would it be?” Harbour asked.

  “Most likely in a higher orbit, and it definitely won’t be tethered to the domes. Travel between the JOS and the new station will be limited to shuttles, which the downsiders might or might not own, depending on the mood of stationers and, especially, the commandant.”

  “A second station. Imagine that?” Harbour mused. “Well, we certainly want to earn our bonus for early delivery,” Harbour said, as she rose. “Let me know the schedule for completing the slush transfer and removing your spacers. Please ensure Aurelia is aboard the Belle before we sail. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

  Harbour paused in the study’s doorway and partially turned to Jessie. “Please enjoy the remainder of your meal, Jessie. In the future, if you’re able to stop by more often, we might have more time to discuss things other than business.”

  Jessie watched the door close, cutting off his view of Harbour’s figure. Well, you’ve been scolded, Jessie Cinders, he thought and laughed quietly to himself. He dug into his food with gusto, finished his meal, and left.

  Having time for one drink in the cantina, Jessie chatted with some of the spacers and residents before he caught a shuttle that was distributing spacers aboard their ships before dropping down to the moon.

  After shucking his vac suit and walking the gravity wheel, Jessie found Ituau grabbing a late-night snack in the galley.

  “Nate on duty?” Jessie asked.

  “He’s downside, Captain. You’re back early. Thought you’d be enjoying an extended dinner,” Ituau commented and displayed a knowing smile.

  “Dinner ended quickly after the business discussion. You might say I was reprimanded.”

  “No wonder,” Ituau replied and stuffed the last of her hot sandwich in her mouth. It was the tease of the Spryte’s crew that no one should get between Ituau and the galley at breaktime without expecting serious bodily injury.

  “Where’s your sympathy for your captain and employer, I might add?” Jessie feigned indignation.

  “When was the last time you were aboard the Belle … with Captain Harbour?” Ituau asked.

  “I was there three or four weeks ago, inspecting the newly refurbished tanks that were coming online.”

  “Did you and the captain cross paths?”

  “Not that time,” Jessie admitted.

  “So, when did you last see the woman?” Ituau pursued.

  “Okay, seven weeks ago or so, I was in the cantina with some spacers, and Captain Harbour was there,” Jessie riposted.

  “Hopeless,” Ituau commented, finishing the last of her drink in one continuous swallow. “No wonder the woman treats you like a business partner and nothing more,” she added.

  Jessie thought to object, wishing to assert his status as captain, but Ituau’s comments had added another layer of rebuke on top of Harbour’s treatment of him. This is why I stay away from relationships, Jessie thought. But he wondered if he avoided long-term associations with women by preference or because he wasn’t any good at them.

  “Well, Ituau, I’ve something to keep you occupied, so you won’t worry so much about me. We’re pulling out. I want a schedule to finish transferring everything to the Belle from downside that we’ve extracted. Then move our people around, so the colony ship can sail. After we get the Pearl topped off, all ships will follow the Belle. By the way, we get a bonus for any slush delivered to the YIPS within the next thirty days.”

  “I like the sound of that. What about Rules, Captain?”

  “Back to the Belle. Captain Harbour’s orders,” Jessie replied, exiting the galley and heading for his cabin.

  * * * *

  “You don’t want the Pearl to sail ahead, Jessie?” Leonard Hastings asked. Jessie’s three ships had caught the Belle a couple of days out from the YIPS, and the enormous vessel was decelerating.

  “Not this time, Leonard,” Jessie replied, stretching out on his couch, while he talked via comm with his captains.

  “Any particular reason, Jessie?” Yohlin asked.

  “Some of the conversations I’ve had with my business partner make me think that she’s more interested in leveraging her newly acquired status than in making coin,” Jessie replied.

  “You think she’d throw our deal with the YIPS?” Yohlin asked, with concern. She’d been developing investment plans with the additional coin she saw herself earning from the next four trips to Emperion.

  “I don’t think she’ll go that far, Yohlin,” Jessie replied. “Harbour has an agenda that surpasses business. My intention is to give her room to play her hand. I don’t want us to be adding adversely to the mix by pushing for our needs.”

  “I hope you’re right, Jessie,” Yohlin replied.
“This is the best deal we’ve ever had, and I’d hate to see it lost because of the woman’s willfulness.”

  “Careful, Yohlin,” Leonard admonished. “You’re speaking about the duly elected captain of our colony ship, whose actions not only saved our sad butts but provided the wherewithal to make the coin from the Emperion slush in the first place.”

  “Apologies, Leonard, you’re right,” Yohlin replied. “I’m worried all this coin will slip through our hands.”

  “Yohlin,” Jessie said. “Harbour wants the income from these shipments as much as the rest of us. She has plans for it. My point is that her plans aren’t the same as ours … they’re bigger, much bigger.”

  A day and a half later, as the four ships neared the YIPS, Jessie’s concerns materialized. He was on a conference call with Harbour and Evan Pendleton, the YIPS manager.

  “Wonderful to see the two of you and your ships,” Evan said enthusiastically. “Captain Harbour, as soon as you reach a stationary position at the transfer point, my people are standing by to begin pumping. Captain Cinders, we can accommodate the Pearl simultaneously on terminal arm one.”

  Evan quietly cleared his throat before he continued. “Of course, you’ll need to follow the commandant’s requirements. That’s blowouts for Captain Cinders’ ships, and no Belle personnel are allowed to leave their ship.”

  “You know that makes no sense, Evan,” Jessie replied. “None of us have been to Triton in more than a year, and my crews have been mixing freely with the Belle’s.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain Cinders. Those are the commandant’s orders. I hope the bonus helps the situation,” Evan said. His tone was extremely conciliatory. If the captains could see him, they would notice the wringing of his hands.

  “I don’t think so,” Harbour said.

  “Begging your pardon, Captain?” Evan replied, hoping he’d not heard her correctly.

  “I’m inclined to sail back to Emperion and dump this slush back on the surface. What about you, Captain Cinders?” Harbour asked.

  “Now that you mention it, Captain Harbour, I’m inclined to agree with you,” Jessie quickly added. “It seems we’re not appreciated. I mean, here we are delivering this much-needed slush for every Pyrean, and we’re treated terribly inhospitably.”