Trade Secret (eARC)

by Sharon Lee

  "My name will go on documents for you, my signature, and me and my good name is what may stand between you and being in jail someday. So tell me and show me what I ask and we may be able to solve problems so they won't happen, heh?

  "And so, my friend, for the record, there is something not clear here--we need a date for your birth!"

  Jethri felt an odd dread. "A date?"

  "Yes, you know, one day you were connected to your mother's support systems and then, spank-a-whop! Out you were launched into the cold and dangerous universe, untethered, to eat and breathe and make noises on your own. That day--we must add it to some documents."

  Jethri gave him the ship-year.

  "A day. The single day, if you will!"

  Jethri sighed, repeated the ship-year, finally recalling the most uncelebrated day on his so-called birth ship.

  "Ship day two hundred and twelve," Jethri said, adding as carefully as he could, "That's day two hundred and twelve, ship cycle one seventeen, that's what my father specified, and that's what we celebrated, until he died."

  Dorster blinked. "But when you were added to the rolls--at what port? They should have got you on the roster . . ."

  "I think, you see, they didn't add me to roster immediately--I found out after . . ."

  Dorster smiled. "I guess so. I do guess so."

  Jethri suppressed his grimace and let the blush go . . . "Ship habit, sir. Not until I got my name . . . so it was sometime before I went on roster."

  "Ah--right, I forget. Are you crew or are you passenger, eh? Well I know that, too!"

  The big man tapped his fingers on the desk, Jethri's IDs in front of him.

  "I see, well, then. A lifetime of ship-time, and not on planet long enough to get a homeworld? And there's space-time, Jump--they make things a little harder for us, my friend, and on some worlds it matters by day count, on others by date count to some silly local event. So we must be able to provide if you are sixteen Standards or sixty. Somewhere there should be a cross-reference for you--was your name announced in a bulletin somewhere? When were you first listed on a crew manifest, with birth info?"

  "Not sure we did really, the birth date thing. They just listed me as adult crew a few years ago when I started doing out-ship assists--gave me a crew card and that was it."

  "Do you have that card?"

  "You hold the ID I carry."

  "Ah, so Elthoria, which is not on port, will admit of you? Well, that is useful, not very! You will always need to remember, spacer, that you ought to have ID with current relationship to a planet or a port of power!"

  Jethri considered. "Keravath's key--do you suppose that's enough of an ID?"

  "Well, here, here in this office, it is enough ID--I know who you are for I was expecting you, and it matches Elthoria's information. We must get you a permanent card, and we must do it before you leave. You can't be out and about on worlds without a ship to back you up unless you have good ID. As it happens, I'm certified."

  In the end, with cross-checking trade lists, they came up with what Dorster allowed was an acceptable haibinja, a date they could call his own start date without math-and-calc reference all the way back to his zero-day.

  Then, the hard part, explaining the promises the Scout had made, and the thing with the fractins . . .

  "Here, of course, right here on Balfour, you can find yourself your body weight and times ten, too, in fractins if you want 'em--you can't recycle the things and you can't just dump 'em in a pile because they'll still be there in a hundred years if you dig them back up. There's still the whispers that somehow some way, they might do something!"

  "Yessir, I know that. The one I had, it was my lucky piece. The other thing, that was in a pile of stuff I inherited. Arin might have been able to teach me how to use it, but the Scouts were sure of themselves and--by Liaden rules, anyhow--the Befores were in their custody, and so they went to them. The book, though, that was mine--I wrote in it, and so did Arin, and that was to come back and be returned, no question."

  "Sure," the big man said. "There's lots to work with, I think. Just got to find the right orbits . . ."

  Dorster stretched in his overworked chair, making it creak once more, his hand disappearing under his beard and reappearing fingers first as he ruminated, then slowly moving his head until it covered his ear. The eyes still looking elsewhere, the hand moved across the busy mustache, came to rest over the nose and half across the eyes as he made a slow humming noise.

  This went on until Dorster stood without warning -

  "Come on. You're shipfolk--let me get you some 'mite while I do a bit of research. Won't be long at all, I think. Not too long, anyway. And Vania, she'll get your docs together so we can get you out of here straight as Pythagoras when the time comes."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Keravath, on Port, Balfour

  Jethri was still looking at the screens, the datastick in his inner pocket something he ought probably to share with the Scout. He had some points to make, and some questions to ask. Some of the questions were easy, and some were not.

  Too, he'd had to make a decision and sign his name, and hand over live coin from his own pocket. There'd been a melant'i play in his head over that--the question of was he Terran now, or Liaden, and he'd made his choice that he was Jethri and needed to be covered wherever he was, like Dorster said.

  The being covered wasn't as easy as it should have been though, on account that Iza never had done all that she should have when Arin died. She had neglected it on purpose, possibly, or just overlooked it. It was simple, really--with Arin gone, Jethri should have had a vouch-home, but Iza hadn't really done that, had not put him on the ship's roster as full crew even after he was trading, had not certified him on New Carpathia--where the ship was registered like most of the loop ships--had not even certified him as Terran, hadn't set up a proper chain of succession for his goods and rights in case he died, hadn't . . .

  So now, besides being Jethri Gobelyn ven'Deelin doing business as Jethri Gobelyn, he was back-certified a Terran, on account of his father'd been certified and had Commission records so Jethri had a history that didn't depend entirely on the good will of Khat and Paitor, him counting no will at all in Iza's direction.

  Paitor'd bought him a ten-year trade key based on his good work on the trade that got the refit going for Gobelyn's Market, but the key was for Jethri Gobelyn--so he had to keep that straight. On the other hand, to be able to face Liadens in court--even a Terran court-- he'd have to be on record as being a clan member. That status was easy enough to prove, because it had been published in The Gazette at Solcintra, Liad, a kind of combination gossip sheet and newspaper of record for Liaden clans. All of this was now certified here on Balfour.

  Certified records were trackable and being certified Terran, as he'd done first, meant he could buy a fall-back, which he'd also done. Worse came to worse, he could now stick Homeport, Waymart, on any record that needed it and that gave him lawjawing rights based on Waymart laws if he needed them--wherever he needed them--which he did, if there was any hope of getting the Balance they were working on fixed.

  The trick was, he'd retained Dorster for himself. So he had, now, seven different tracks of what to do if and when they came face-to-face with the miscreants, and four of those tracks up for settling in the morning with his meeting--well, their meeting, since he'd need the Scout to be witness and do some swearing, too, at the hearing.

  Now he just needed to explain all of that to ter'Astin, who still wasn't back. Sitting in the second chair he felt the circulation kick up a notch. Right, the storms coming through often meant temperature changes. He knew something about weather from his time on Irikwae so if it was getting warmer outside, then the ship was doing right by itself. It was nosier than usual, too, which probably meant that, despite closed airlocks, it was "breathing" and filtering local air--for all he knew it might be good enough air to fill some extra tanks.

  He thought about dinner--ter'Astin had told him to
expect fresh food coming in, but he was getting short in the stomach fuse department--and sighed gustily as he stretched, glancing over the board, seeing familiar lights in the right spots, switches where they belonged, screens large and small.

  He stood, planning on changing out of the trade clothes he'd worn to the mall, his eyes drifting back over some anomaly in front of him.

  He'd almost figured it out when he heard ter'Astin's tone ring, indicating that he'd started the airlock cycling. The Scout wasn't one to run with both sides of an airlock open at the same time, like some family ships might on world; the interlocks were not to be messed with--one door open at a time was the rule. The outer lock closed and pressure equalized--that's when the boards knew ter'Astin was back and the onboard line on the oxy use chart lit up.

  There it was.

  There on the housekeeping section there were three lines on the day's oxy chart. His, the Scout's, and crewman number three. Crew number three's record stopped not more than five minutes ago.

  *

  "Have you moved beyond this area since you reboarded?"

  The food smelled delicious, but the containers remained unopened on the counter as the Scout brought his boards live and scanned Jethri's captured video images. He grimaced and brought up a sub-board Jethri hadn't seen before, and his hands blurred as he ran routines . . .

  "Not at all. I was sitting here . . ."

  "Excellent," the Scout allowed, "Please take your board again; we have a lot of work to do."

  There were twin thunks behind them then, and the young trader realized the pressure doors separating the tiny flight deck from the tiny berths had been activated, effectively locking those. Could there be a stowaway?

  As Jethri sat, the Scout called the tower, requesting a feed of recent area scans, asking if there were comm feeds pending, if it was the habit of Maintenance to wander through ship-zone without being asked and offering to supply a copy . . .

  "You, Jethri," the Scout said, barely glancing at him as he was now balancing three ship-to-shore conversations, "will run a check of the airlock records for the last ship-day, and match open and closing records against your own movements and against those of mine you know. Compare them with the pressure and usage charts you'll find for the cabin, as well, and if you select these controls--" Here Jethri's main screen lit up file areas he'd never thought to investigate.

  "It is well of you to inquire if we have added crew, and admire that you noticed the added crew mark. Keravath rarely travels with three aboard, and if you will bring those usage records forward when you have them--we can check the sealing and unsealing of the berths as well, in the drop-downs.

  "Yes, thank you. It is very wise of you to have the operating cameras on rotation, if I may say so, and would appreciate that as hardcopy as soon as possible. As well, perhaps you will be able to identify this person from our records, then, which I transmit."

  Jethri matched the timelines on the outer lock, saw his own exit and return reflected clearly, and assumed the second exit of the day was ter'Astin, and knew, too which one was the Scout's return. Within very few moments of ter'Astin's exit there was another outer lock usage . . .

  "Why does it say crew member number three?" Jethri asked. "You haven't added anyone to the roster, have you?" He hadn't meant to make the question sound suspicious, but wasn't sure he'd achieved neutrality.

  "Ah. Indeed, why? Particularly since none has been added to the roster since the flight began but yourself."

  The Scout excused himself momentarily, spoke to ground control, returned his attention to Jethri. "May I assume you did not lend out your key to the ship?"

  "Always in my inner pocket, until I returned."

  "As it should be. I then assure you, for good measure as you sit Second here, that I did not lend out my key to the ship, or offer a spare to another. In effect, my key was in an inner pocket the while I was on port."

  The Scout sighed then, threw a long-distance scan of their small corner of the landing lot onto the screen. Jethri saw himself leave, judging by time--the rain and walls of the little tunnel made it difficult to see detail. He saw ter'Astin leave, recognizable in part by his pilot's jacket, and in part by hair color. Then there was a motion coming up the tunnel, someone wearing green, and then the image went muzzy and that portion stopped, to be replaced with a view of a distant gray ship in distant gray rain on a distant launch spot

  "Crewman number three arrived on Keravath and utilized a key to the ship."

  Jethri let that sink in--

  "But how?"

  "I suspect I know how, my friend. The answer is more than a little disturbing. The very first question now is why? So, let us compare notes on the opening and closing of various doors and entrances, and we'll do a keystroke analysis, if we need to, on the rest of the ship. Once we're positive we have no large-scale visitors on board, we'll eat."

  *

  As they ate, they pieced together a stealthy and knowing intruder, the ship's normal routine a strange counterpoint to the mystery. The normal things: some screens showing ship movements as their own instruments received them, others showing trade relays and ordinary traffic, with the muted sounds of distant discussions in Terran.

  But the Scout ignored such things as Jethri tried to, the Scout leading the way in describing the invasion.

  The visitor had been on board for a very few moments, and had entered Jethri's sleeping cubby, but not ter'Astin's. If theft was the motive, there was no proof of it, for Jethri could find nothing missing, nor was anything obviously disturbed. The Scout's handheld discovered no sign of a telltale, and the ship itself reported no odd transmissions. The course boards had been accessed and likely copied as they might from Jethri's board, with access again noted to crewman number three.

  "Not into my sleeping area, for of course mine are Scout's habits. If I have secrets they'll be difficult to locate, or in well-guarded safe spots, and not to be discovered for the turning over of clothes or perusal of reading sticks. Since the safe spots are pilot-programmable it would be unwise to attempt them if secrecy was important, and if not we'd have overt evidence of damage or search in the ship."

  The thought train waited while they both bit into some of the oil breads and then the Scout made an emphatic hand gesture, which encompassed himself, Jethri, and the ship at once.

  "You will remind me, as Second, that on every port we shall set full safeguards on arrival and we will check those safeguards, each, for every exit."

  "Understood." Jethri bowed a deep bow since it was a very emphatic hand motion he was agreeing to.

  "Good. And what other information might be of note, I wonder?"

  Jethri shrugged, then ventured an oddity. "The oxy and other gas uses. They're not yours, according to the charts, and not mine, but they're different somehow. Does it mean the intruder's acclimated here?"

  "Ah, what an interesting question and observation. We shall both study on this as time permits."

  Now, a sip of tea, and the tale continued.

  "And so, the ship was looked at, and neither my station nor my areas disturbed, a sign that the intruder, for we can see by the usages rates that there was only one, is a pilot--a Scout pilot."

  Another sip of tea interrupted. "And since the key was to hand, it was either a Scout pilot who has flown aboard Keravath in the past who copied or kept a key, or one who had access to the key locker usually controlled by the Master of Keys.

  "As second seat you must know that an invasion of a pilot's ship is forgivable only under extreme circumstances. That the visitor did not care to explain such circumstances indicates that, in fact, such were not in force. In your case, they have intruded on your space; they have violated your privacy, and they have disturbed your goods. There is Balance owing to me, to you, and to Keravath herself.

  "Additionally, there is Balance owing to the Scouts--but you see, we continue to cause you difficulty; so first, that is mine to solve, and the ship entry, that is ours to solve." Here h
e bowed, comrade mode, to Jethri, adding "There is nuance here you may not have learned yet, but I will not let the nuance be lost, I swear it!"

  "The question is still why! Why did they steal my book in the first place? Why rummage through my clothes?" Jethri insisted.

  "It is that you are known to have used Old Tech with much effect, and only recently. You are of a family of traders thought to have long traded Old Tech. Indeed, the trail now runs through the very items you inherited, through the very pocket piece you played with as a child. And your face is very much the face of Arin Gobelyn, who died with secrets someone wants.

  "Understand, Second, that Arin Gobelyn was part of something larger than your ship, or your ship family: he'd been a commissioner of the Combine, and then, he was not a commissioner but he was not done with being part of something larger, because he had a plan or a vision, and he made a report on it that is now circulating."

  "Circulating report? He's gone!"

  The pilot's face gave away exasperation.

  "Of course his report is circulating--else I'd not have heard of it. I would like to see a copy for myself, but it remains yet an object of interest for my agency."

  An expression ghosted over the Scout's face, turned to a smile, and then the bow of one making a request perhaps not quite covered by existing melant'i.

  "Perhaps the best path is for me to ask you outright--is it possible you own a copy of the manifesto called 'Arin's Envidaria of the Seventeen Worlds'?"

  Jethri sighed, shook his head Terran style, and finally said, "No. In fact I haven't a copy, and what's more, I haven't heard of this thing before today. You call it a 'manifesto'--is that a plan for all men to live by?"

  The Scout's face went blank, as if he'd given something away, and he bowed, contrition being the lead note.

  "If I'd seen a copy," the scout said, "I might tell you what it is, but what we know is that there have been some few--transmissions--gathered as Scouts travel. Where this information, this report, is mentioned, it appears guarded and secret, which seems odd of something related to trade. It has been growing of late, but only among certain ships. Oddly,"--here the Scout looked away for a few moments before looking back and continuing--"I say oddly, some of these ships are also often ships thought to be trading in the Old Tech or otherwise pushing the edge of permissible trading. If there were traders more like you, of course, we need not be concerned about messages that we cannot decipher . . ."