Owner's Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper)

by Lowell, Nathan

  Ms. Arellone spoke first. “Under normal circumstances, I’d vote for the best butt.”

  We both looked at her, and I think Ms. Maloney actually giggled a little.

  She shrugged. “He’s young, competent, has a bit of style, and a nice butt. Not much in the way of personality, but we already have a full load of personalities on the ship.”

  I had to chuckle because she was absolutely correct. I took her word on the butt, because it was an attribute I seldom noticed.

  “But I think he’d be a bit boring, sar,” she finished up. “I can imagine being cooped up with him on the ship for weeks at a time and the thought isn’t pretty.”

  “So, your vote?”

  “I’d vote for Red Herring, sar. We already have a crazy uncle. Why not add a wacky younger brother?”

  “Not the impressive Ms. Davis?” I asked her.

  “It’s cold enough out in the Deep Dark, sar.” Her answer was a bit bleak, but fit my thinking as well.

  “Ms. Maloney?” I turned to her.

  “Of the three of them, Mr. Herring seems like the best fit for the ship, Captain. I can’t speak to competence, but he’s got the most presence. I think he’d work well with passengers as well.”

  I nodded and shrugged. “We’re unanimous then but we’d better lay in a supply of tea. Ms. Maloney if you’d recommend some for me, I’ll get it ordered.”

  “Tea, sar?” Ms. Arellone asked.

  “Mr. Herring is a tea drinker. He was just too polite to say so.”

  She frowned at me. “How can you tell, sar?”

  I shrugged. “He sipped at the coffee, but didn’t actually drink much, if any. Leaves me to suspect that he’s not a coffee drinker but he’s been around ships long enough to know how much we love our coffee. He didn’t want to draw attention to his perversity so he just went along. If he doesn’t drink coffee then he probably drinks tea. Even if he doesn’t, it seems like something we should have in the galley for passengers.”

  Ms. Maloney looked a bit startled, but nodded.

  “Ms. Maloney, if you’d suggest some teas for me in a bit, I’ll make an order for delivery before we get underway.”

  “Aye, aye, sar,” she said and pulled out her tablet, making notes.

  “Thank you, both. I’ll go pass the word to our candidates, and we should probably make up Dr. Leyman’s bunk for him. He’ll be reporting soon.”

  A chorus of “Aye, aye, Captain” followed me out of the galley.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Welliver Orbital:

  2373-January-13

  Dr. Leyman and Mr. Herring arrived at the lock at almost the same time. Mr. Herring’s arrival occurred so promptly on the tails of the offer, I wondered where he had been living.

  I had given Ms. Maloney and Ms. Arellone their choice of staying in their original compartment or moving to the newer one, and since the two were practically identical, they chose to stay in the aft compartment. Mr. Herring moved into the empty crew space, and Dr. Leyman took up residence in what we started calling Compartment A.

  A quick check of the tags on Mr. Herring’s shipsuits gave us the sizes, and I placed a rush order for five each with his name on them to match the ones that Ms. Arellone and Ms. Maloney already had.

  All told, we had a busy morning.

  At noon, Ms. Maloney served a delightful chicken-rice soup with more of her crusty bread. The scent of baking bread permeated the ship while we finalized our departure arrangements, and got new crew and passenger settled. It was a lively meal, made more so by Dr. Leyman’s obvious pleasure at being aboard.

  As the meal wound down toward dessert, I walked through my normal check list.

  “Chief? Is the ship ready to go?”

  “Oh, aye, Cap. Tanks topped, and all the fiddly bits are present or accounted for.”

  “Thank you, Chief. Ms. Maloney, have we received the last replenishment order from the chandlery?”

  “Not yet, Captain, but they assured me that the tea you ordered, and the shipsuits for Mr. Herring will be along shortly after 1300.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Maloney.”

  I could see Mr. Herring looking a bit flummoxed by the name but I let him stew.

  “Ms. Arellone, I’d like you to pilot us out today, if you please?”

  “Me, Captain?” She shot a nervous look at Dr. Leyman.

  “You’re the only Ms. Arellone we have, I believe, and you’re also working toward your ship handling rating, I believe?”

  “Well, yes, Skipper, but...”

  “It’s easy, Ms. Arellone, and I’ll be right there with you.”

  “Mr. Herring, I’d like you to stand by the forward lock while we pull back. I’ll show you how to manage the equipment after lunch mess.”

  “Aye, aye, sar.” He looked around the table as if trying to figure out what was happening.

  “Andy? Would you like to ride out with us up on the bridge?”

  His eyes got round. “Me, Captain?”

  “I think Ms. Arellone already used that line, Andy.”

  We had a good laugh while he wrestled with the idea.

  “I’d be delighted, Captain. I didn’t know it was even possible.”

  “Well, it’s rather boring once we get out of the immediate local area. Lots of dark.”

  Ms. Maloney leaned forward to look around Ms. Arellone. “Don’t let him kid you, Andy. It’s wonderful.”

  “Very well, then,” I said. “We’ll seal the lock after the chandlery order arrives. I’ve planned push back for 1530.” I looked to Ms. Maloney. “I’ll secure from navigation stations by 1600 or so, Ms. Maloney, so you’ll be able to deal with dinner.”

  “Thank you, Captain. That should be fine.”

  “Excellent.” I smiled around the table once. “Let’s move on with the afternoon already in progress, shall we?”

  As the party broke up, everybody, including Dr. Leyman helped with the first blush of cleanup, clearing off the table, and getting things stacked.

  When that was over, I took Mr. Herring down to the lock, showed him where everything was, and how to go about doing it without actually undocking the ship. He took it all in with rapt attention, and I took it as a good sign that he could recite it all back to me.

  While we were there, I saw the chandlery delivery approaching the lock, and keyed it open, protecting us from the klaxon. It was a smallish shipment so I just had them unload at the lock, and thanked them for the prompt service. They left and I set the “secured for departure” flag on the lock before giving Mr. Herring the box containing his shipsuits. I had another smaller box for him, but the shipsuits were enough for him to carry, and I took the rest up to the galley.

  I dropped the box of teas off with Ms. Maloney, and followed Mr. Herring down to his berthing area, and handed him the box containing his ship’s tablet.

  “When you get your gear settled, get with Ms. Arellone and ask her to show you around that tablet, if you would, Mr. Herring.”

  He took it and held it awkwardly. “Thank you, Captain.”

  “We’re running a little fast and loose here, Mr. Herring, but do you have any questions?”

  “A couple, sar. My understanding is that I’m on bridge watch?”

  “Oh, yes. It’s a pretty low key evolution, and I’ll sit the first one with you. You’ve done bridge watches on other vessels, and this one’s not much different.”

  “Thank you, sar. Next? If her name is Maloney, why does her shipsuit say Maitland?”

  “When she’s ashore she’s Maitland. Aboard she’s Maloney.” I shrugged. “It’s a long story and if she wants to share it with you, she will. Otherwise, it’s not mine to tell.”

  “Thank you, sar.” He thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I guess that’s it for now.”

  “No problem, Mr. Herring. Welcome aboard.”

  I left him unpacking shipsuits, and headed for the bridge. I needed to do some astrogation updates for Ten Volt, and wanted to make sure our cours
e was correct before we pushed back from the orbital.

  By 1500 I was satisfied with the course, and had filed enough of the astrogation updates to get through to my first watch. I’d have plenty of time to finish them then. I stood, stretched, and decided to make a last inspection of the ship. It was beginning to fill up and I wondered what it would be like if we ever got enough passengers to fill the bunks. I had visions of having to eat in shifts.

  I found everybody but the chief sitting at the table in the galley. Mr. Herring’s hair made an interesting contrast with the blue shipsuit. It didn’t exactly clash, but it was vibrant.

  They all looked up and smiled as I came in. I nodded all around, and asked Dr. Leyman, “Are you settled in? Any problems?”

  “Yes, Captain, thanks. It seems very comfortable.”

  “Excellent! See Ms. Maloney if you need anything.”

  Ms. Maloney smiled and nodded. “It’ll be like Ranger Nineteen again, Andy.”

  “Oh, gods, I hope not. I was two stanyers getting the stink of that place out of my nose.”

  “Well, we’re on track for departure at 1530. Does everybody know where to go for navigation stations?”

  I looked to Ms. Arellone who promptly replied, “Bridge.”

  Mr. Herring picked up his cue, “Forward lock.”

  Ms. Maloney thought for a moment. “Is there room for me on the bridge, sar?”

  “Of course, Ms. Maloney. You can show Andy the way.”

  He looked puzzled. “Isn’t it just up the ladder outside?” He nodded in the direction of the passage.

  “Yes, but you need to know the secret handshake,” I said. “I want to make another round of the ship before we go. See you in a few ticks.”

  I sauntered back to the unoccupied compartment where we had stashed our spare supplies. I wanted to make sure that nothing would fly around if the maneuvering got tricky. The chief had mounted the screen on the bulkhead in that compartment, but I frowned when I realized he hadn’t actually connected it to the console unit. It wasn’t a high priority under the circumstances, but it irked me. The cases of spare linens and supplies for the heads were stowed neatly on the deck where they’d not topple, although they might slide. I couldn’t see anyway of improving the situation, so I went on to the next empty compartment. I pulled out my tablet, and added a note to find storage space before we got to Ten Volt. There was probably a linen closet tucked into some corner we had overlooked.

  In Compartment C, the vacant over-and-under between the chief’s space and the port-side head, I found that the chief had, again, mounted the screen, but not connected it. When I flicked on the light to see what was going on under the desk, the panel only lit halfway. I had my tablet out so I pulled up the punch list that Ms. Arellone and I had made on those first few days aboard. Sure enough, the lighting panel fault showed about half way down the list.

  I sighed and wondered how many more of these items were still not corrected. None of them were critical to the safety of the ship, but it had been a couple of weeks since I gave the list to the chief.

  I crawled under the desk, and connected the screen to the console, only banging my head once as I crawled back out.

  A reminder bipped on my tablet as I closed the door to the compartment. I headed for the bridge.

  I found Ms. Arellone already there, looking over the controls and scanning through the console screens.

  “Nervous, Ms. Arellone?”

  She grinned at me. “A bit, Skipper.”

  I smiled, and patted her on the shoulder as I passed behind her to the Engineering Console. “We need to notify traffic control, and get clearance to depart. Can you do that?” I flipped the toggles to fire up the console, and brought up the ship’s power schematics. Ship’s auxiliaries were hot, and sail generators showed safety standby.

  “I think so, Captain.” She flipped through a couple of screens before she found the correct one. “Here?” she asked, looking over to me.

  “Yes, Ms. Arellone. It’s already got the ship’s identifiers, and I’ve stored the flight plan with it. Just toggle the send, and it’ll route to traffic control.” I glanced at the chrono. “You could do that now.”

  While she did that, I brought up the auxiliary bridge control screen, and got ready to clear the lock safeties. At 1525 I keyed to the intercom. “This is the captain speaking. All hands set navigation stations. All hands set navigation stations. Prepare for pull out at 1530.”

  Ms. Maloney and Dr. Leyman scampered up the ladder, and I nodded at the two extra seats. “Buckle up and enjoy the ride!” I told them with a smile.

  I watched Dr. Leyman’s face as he saw the side of the orbital out of the bow port. It registered surprise, but he made sure to securely fasten the seatbelt before he turned his head to look to port and starboard at the other small ships docked there. His face broke into an excited grin.

  I keyed the intercom to the forward lock. “All ready down there, Mr. Herring.”

  “All ready, Captain.”

  “When we’re free, come up to the bridge Mr. Herring.”

  “Aye, aye, sar.”

  I keyed to the engine room. “Are we ready to go, Chief?”

  “Oh, aye, Cap. Kick ’er and she’ll go. Auxiliaries are hot and safety off. Sail generators on standby. We’ll go, Cap. Kick ’er and we’ll go, see if we don’t.”

  “Please send departure request to traffic control, Ms. Arellone.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain, send departure request.” Her finger twitched. “Sent, Captain.”

  I saw the window pop up on her screen over her shoulder but she read it to me. “Departure request granted, Captain.”

  I tapped a couple of keystrokes, and we heard the clunk of the safety interlock retracting at the bow. I keyed the release. On my screen, I saw the lock go from green to amber to blank as Mr. Herring ran through the undocking protocols.

  I looked behind us to make sure there was nobody lurking back there and said, “Tap it back easy, Ms. Arellone.”

  She got full marks from me because she stood and looked out the stern to make sure we were clear before tapping. A brief sense of movement, and we were away—the skin of the orbital appearing to move away from us, rather than the other way around.

  “Back us out about a hundred meters, Ms. Arellone, and then yaw ninety degrees to starboard.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain. Out a hundred, yaw ninety.”

  She watched the proximity lidar as we floated gently away from the curving hull of the orbital. At ninety meters she twitched the guide handles, and we spun neatly to starboard, moving eerily sideways, and staring out into the darkness beyond the rounded horizon of the orbital.

  It took her a couple of times to get the yaw under control, and she looked tense and nervous.

  “You’re doing fine, Ms. Arellone. At two hundred meters, bring the auxiliaries up to ten percent, and pick up the beam to exit local space.”

  “Two hundred meters, ten percent, ride the beam. Aye, aye, Captain.”

  The ship swung smoothly and she brought the kickers online just at the correct moment and used the maneuvering thrusters to put us on the guide beam for departure. As the kickers came online, I heard footsteps on the ladder, and Mr. Herring came clambering up. I stood up from the engineering seat, and gestured him into it while I took the captain’s chair at the back of the bridge. It sat me up a bit higher, and gave me a better view out of the bridge.

  It also let me see smiles beaming out of Dr. Leyman and Ms. Maloney as we threaded the needle through the traffic, headed out for the Deep Dark.

  I watched Mr. Herring observe Ms. Arellone in the pilot’s seat, and approved of his alertness. I hoped he worked out. He reminded me a bit of an old friend. I liked the notion that I might be paying some of the debt I owed my past.

  At 1600 I announced, “Secure from Navigation Stations. Third section has the watch.”

  Ms. Arellone didn’t look like she wanted to give up the handles, but she stood and made room for
Mr. Herring. They logged the watch change smoothly, and I winked at Ms. Arellone. “Next time, I’ll put second section on so you can ride out with the sails, Ms. Arellone.”

  She grinned. “Thanks, Skipper.”

  Ms. Maloney rose, and headed for the ladder, but Dr. Leyman kept his seat and turned to me. “Is it all right if I ride up here for a time, Captain?”

  “Of course, Andy. Go get a cup of coffee, and come back if you like.” I smiled at him. “Consider that your seat any time you want it until we get to Ten Volt.”

  He grinned, and from his expression you might have thought I had given him the world. I suppose, in a way, I had.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Welliver System:

  2373-January-19

  Five days out of Welliver on the afternoon watch, I had just finished the interminable astrogation updates when Ms. Arellone came bounding up the ladder to the bridge.

  “Whoa, there!” I said. “You’re still early.”

  “Skipper! Isn’t this a Higbee 9500? The ship?”

  “Yes, Ms. Arellone. Why?”

  “Sar, I was fiddling about with my tablet and found a new folder in the public area of the system.” She had something on her tablet, but was waving it around so I couldn’t see what it was. “It had a lot of marketing materials about Higbee Yards and the Higbee 9500.”

  “Not unusual, Ms. Arellone,” I said. “What has you so excited?”

  “There was a picture of the ship, sar. Look!” She flipped her tablet around so I could see it. Sure enough there was a picture labeled Higbee 9500 Starlighter, and under it a block of text, zoomed so small I couldn’t read it, but the nature of the layout told me it had to be the marketing brochure.

  I looked at her, and then looked back at the tablet. The image on her screen showed the ship looking down slightly from the forward port quarter, as if the ship were about to sail past the camera. The background of stars made it look like a digital image, and not an artist’s rendering. I leaned in to get a better look. “Are those ports, Ms. Arellone?”

  “Apparently, sar. According to the description the Starlighter hull has all these ports in it.” She was practically bouncing.