One Trade Too Many

by D. A. Boulter

  “Further, the Family Trading League has taken out a massive advertising buy explaining our actions and the reasons for them. We make available to any person on New Brittain – and later other worlds – full transcripts and vids of the trial, in case they did not watch it at the time. As well as that, we have presented to them the full extent of our offer to compensate minor shareholders in NB lines.”

  Delmond suddenly felt it necessary to sit down.

  “Castle Lines has graciously agreed to our offer. You can, of course refuse it, but I’d hate to be you when your shareholders realize that you have given away any chance for them to dispose of what is now worthless stock. And I’d hate to be you when the crews of your ships and their families find out that you put them out of work when an alternative presented itself.”

  She regarded him with distaste.

  “But you may do as you wish.” She then recalled what he had said earlier. “This is our first and final offer. You may wish to talk with your bankers before deciding. It’s up to you.” She paused a moment, then finished with, “You can count yourself lucky that no Family member, passenger, or employee died as a result of your shameful acts. Had they, we would not have been merciful.”

  Colleen turned to regard the judge who oversaw the proceeding. “And that, my Lord, is justice.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Haida Gwaii

  Jenna sat in her office, with Clay and Colleen.

  “Well, we certainly caused a stir, didn’t we?” She didn’t seem at all upset about that fact, as Colleen well knew she wouldn’t be. She looked at Clay. “Son, it’s a statement that we needed to make.”

  “They’ll remember. Just like they remember Davix Prime. And every time an Yrden ship pulls in there, she gets less than her due.”

  Jenna considered that. “Perhaps. But pirates tend to stay away from our ships, our warehouses. In any event, it’s done. The Families will remain here with Haida Gwaii for a while to see that the transfer from NB Lines to Castle Lines goes through as smoothly as possible.

  “Blue Powder, on the other hand should get back on its route.”

  Colleen knew she would have to work to get Clay to accept what had happened. He would eventually see the logic of it.

  “Jenna?”

  “Yes, Colleen?”

  “Mr Korsh would like to see you. He says it concerns the Yrden Family, Hittorsh, and relations between the Damargs and Humans.”

  “The League will crucify us if our actions here destroyed any possibility of a deal with the Damargs,” Clay said.

  “Don’t anticipate. Colleen, I presume he waits outside. Yes. Have him come in.”

  Korsh entered, his eyes bright as he bowed his head to Jenna.

  “You wished to speak to me, as Head of the Yrden Family?” she asked.

  “Precisely. I watched with great interest the proceedings of the last few days. I consider the judgment rendered against NB Lines right and just. We Damargs, and especially those of Hittorsh Company, respect actions that preserve order.”

  “Thank you, Mr Korsh,” Jenna said, giving Clay an I-told-you-so look. “Now, what can we do for you and Hittorsh?”

  “My evaluation of what Hittorsh might expect in human space has ended. I would like to offer Yrden Lines a standing route between Daiovan Station and Pallinteth Station. Of course, I cannot do this. I cannot usurp the authority of the directors of Hittorsh, and that of the Damarg government.”

  So far, so good, thought Colleen.

  “What can you offer us?” Jenna asked.

  “My backing in the attempt to gain that route. However, we would want recompense.”

  Bribery? They might have misjudged Korsh after all.

  “What sort of recompense?”

  “In return for that route and the opening of an Yrden – or FTL if you prefer – trade desk on Pallinteth Station, we would like to establish a trade route between Pallinteth and Pelgraff. It is the belief of my superiors – who have sent word to me – that the cindra berry juice of Pelgraff ranks higher in most ways than any other which we have imported from the Pagayan planets. Perhaps it is the soil, perhaps the skill of the orchardists.” He waved his hands in negation. “We don’t really care; we merely desire the product and this route.”

  Korsh again waved his hands as if to dissipate any anger this offer had caused. “We understand that this would break your monopoly on Pelgraff, and remove Hittorsh as a customer for that one product. Trust me when I say that you will find other Damargian companies who will wish to trade for cindra berry juice.

  “We would also wish to set up a small trade delegation on Pelgraff if trade warrants it.”

  Colleen’s excitement rose in her. Finally! Finally, someone else recognized the worth of Pelgraff. And Tro Vremen and his people would no longer have to rely solely upon the Yrden Family. Jenna’s words brought her crashing down.

  “I fear, Mr Korsh, that we can make no such deal with you or Hittorsh.”

  “Jenna—”

  Jenna held up her hand to forestall Colleen’s objection. “Tell her, Clay.”

  Clay smiled, though Colleen could see no reason for mirth or anything but sadness at a lost opportunity.

  “Mr Korsh, the Yrden Family does not have a monopoly of trade with Pelgraff. True, we’re the only ones who do trade there on a regular basis, but anyone – Hittorsh Company included – may make whatever deals they want with the people and companies of Pelgraff. Your ships do not require our permission, nor anyone else’s, to go there. What we can do, however, is offer to take you there and introduce you to Tro Vremen, whose growers produce the cindra berry juice that your company’s officers so enjoyed.” He turned his hands palms up. “You would have to negotiate your own deal.”

  Korsh considered that for a moment. “I would enjoy going to Pelgraff to make an initial assessment. However, I believe I will relay to Hittorsh Headquarters that in return for the route to Pallinteth Station, the Yrden Family will put no – what is the English term? – roadblocks, yes, you will put no roadblocks in the way of our opening a trade route to Pelgraff. They will understand that more readily. Value for value.”

  Jenna laughed. “You must do as you think best, Mr Korsh.”

  “Yes. May I suggest that we make that stop after we depart Turnaff Station – where Blue Powder would have gone from Yamato had not the problem of NB Lines interfered. At Fandaff station, which should have come after Turnaff, the Damargs have a trade desk, and they would send word back to my company if I presented a good report on the suitability of trading with Pelgraff.”

  Colleen looked to Jenna, who looked to Clay.

  “Mr Korsh,” Clay said. “We can accommodate you.”

  “Excellent.”

  Colleen wished that she and Clay were alone so that she might kiss him. Tro Vremen would jump for joy. Or not; she had never seen him jump for anything. But another trading partner would make him happy.

  * * *

  Pelgraff

  “You like Pelgraff?” Korsh asked.

  Colleen smiled at him as they entered the shuttle bay. “It’s my favourite planet. Very agricultural. Much like my home planet.”

  “What do you trade for, besides cindra berry juice?”

  “We invested in a factory that packages food for us. As well, we bring up staples and fresh fruits and vegetables. We trade manufactured goods from other planets, that Pelgraff hasn’t gotten around to producing. They concentrate on just what they need to make their system work.”

  “So, luxury items.”

  Colleen laughed as she entered the shuttle. “Exactly. And Pelgraff is famous in some quarters for its cindra berry juice – besides with your company.” They moved up to the flight deck. “Minda is taking another shuttle down. We’ll load it first so you’ll have some time for sightseeing as well as your talk with Tro Vremen. It’ll give the children some extra time on planet, also.”

  She packed Brian and David into the passenger compartment, where Mr Telford fastened t
hem into their restraints. He gave the thumbs up.

  “Well, Ms Silverston,” Clay said to the anthropologist. “I hope your extended trip with us proved useful.”

  She beamed at him. “Very enlightening. I have pages and pages of notes. I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Well, I hope you enjoy your time on Pelgraff.”

  Ms Silverston nodded. “I can’t believe it will be anything but productive.”

  “You’re leaving us, ’Dith?” asked David.

  She smiled at him. “Yes, David, I am.” She reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t be sad. We had fun, didn’t we?”

  He nodded.

  “And next time you come to Pelgraff, perhaps we’ll see each other again.”

  David smiled at that.

  “Time to go,” Clay said, and they went to the cockpit.

  Korsh sat in the comm-op’s seat in the shuttle on the way down to Pelgraff. He had not yet become so accustomed to flights to and from planets – or even to stations from ships – that it had become commonplace to him.

  He thrilled at the re-entry, or so he told his hosts. The shuttle levelled off and began gliding down for a landing at Grensel, the capital city.

  “Pelgraff,” Colleen said, indicating the view through the front screen.

  “Pelgraff is an old Pagayan word,” he said.

  “Yes,” Colleen agreed. “It means something like ‘deepest heart’.”

  “I understand that both Pagayans and Humans settled the planet. Has any friction arisen?”

  “Nothing worth relating. Everyone seems to get along quite well.”

  The shuttle landed, and Tro Vremen stood there, ready to greet them. Colleen ran to him, and jumped, allowing him to catch her.

  “I have the best of news,” she said.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Tra Yrden.” He looked over her shoulder, and surprise tinted his voice. “You now travel with a Damarg?”

  “Mr Korsh, this is Tro Vremen. He pretty much is our main contact on Pelgraff.”

  Tro Vremen offered the hands of friendship.

  “Mr Korsh has done some translating for us, and his company initiated a contact that sees Yrden lines travelling into Damarg space.”

  Tro Vremen regarded Korsh curiously. “I didn’t think the Damarg Regime liked others coming into their space.”

  “Things change,” Korsh replied. “It is just a small start – and only to one of the outlying worlds, not to Home World. My company even had me learn a Human language. Practice of it comprises part of my duties on this trip with the Yrdens.”

  “Interesting. Which language? They have dozens of them.”

  Korsh laughed, “So I discovered. I learned the one called English or Common.”

  Tro Vremen switched into that language. “Well, I certainly hope your company appreciates the effort you put in. English seems a most irregular language.”

  Korsh followed him into English. “Yes – especially the spelling as against the pronunciation.”

  Tro Vremen turned back to Clay. “But we delay you. You arrived some hours earlier than your message said you intended. We’re not quite ready, though we can begin shipping product to the landing pad at once.”

  “Not a problem, Tro Vremen,” Clay assured him. “We’ll just take Mr Korsh on a little tour – see if our favourite restaurant still has our favourite dish on the menu. The children don’t get down enough, either, so they can use the extra time on-planet. Then he’ll want to talk business with you.”

  “With me?”

  “His company may wish to establish a trade route that includes Pelgraff. And if you make a deal, the Yrden Family will have competition,” Colleen said, referring to their last stop on the Planet.

  They went to The Cousin’s and ordered their favourite meal – a vegetarian one that Korsh had no trouble enjoying.

  Afterwards, they walked out into the early evening sun. They entered a nearby park and sat on benches while the children ran and played with other children who enjoyed playtime out with their families.

  “Feels good to have open sky above my head,” Colleen said.

  “She grew up on a planet,” Clay explained.

  “As did I,” Korsh replied, looking at the mixture of humans and Pagayans who roamed around freely.

  When they arrived back at the warehouse near the landing pad, Tro Vremen came out to meet them.

  “I fear we won’t have enough to fill the second shuttle until tomorrow or the day after, Tra Yrden.”

  “Wonderful. We get to spend a night or two down here. Gives you more time to talk with Mr Korsh.”

  Then she looked over to him. “Mr Korsh, you have the option of returning to Blue Powder with Minda if you complete your business quickly, or remaining with us on Pelgraff.”

  “If it is not too much trouble, I will remain.”

  Korsh left with Tro Vremen to talk business, then returned to them later in the day.

  “Very convivial,” he replied, when Clay asked him how talks progressed.

  The whole family, along with Korsh, stayed out late to watch the moonrise. After that, the Yrdens took their two sleepy children into the lodgings and put them to bed.

  They came out and split a bottle of wine between the three of them.

  Colleen looked up to the stars, twinkling as seen through the filter of the atmosphere – like she had known them in her childhood.

  “I miss this,” she said. “And I miss Rose.” She turned to Korsh. “She raised me – a surrogate mother. We would often sit outside and watch the stars. Not many streetlights in Glencayther, so we had a fine view of the sky.”

  Korsh made a good listener, and Clay remained silent throughout her rambling. It gratified him to see that Erin no longer remained such a horror in her memory. “We should go back, Clay, and see Rose.”

  “We’ll do that,” he replied softly.

  And then they sat in silence for a time. Finally Colleen shook herself out of the dreamstate she had entered.

  “Better get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

  * * *

  Telford met them at the launch site and saw the children safely seated and strapped in before he took his own place.

  Korsh came up to the flight deck, and seated himself.

  “Finished with your talks?” Colleen asked him.

  “Tro Vremen said he would welcome us. And he told me something that I had not previously known: a Damarg town already exists on Pelgraff.”

  Colleen stared at him. “Really? I had no idea.”

  And Clay had had no idea, either. “When this happen?”

  “Almost three years ago.” Korsh looked bewildered. Whether by the information, or by the fact that Damargs had left their home systems, Clay couldn’t tell. “Tro Vremen tells me that a group of some two thousand landed and set up their town. Why they came, I do not know. More have followed them. They farm, as do the Pagayans and Humans. They keep mostly to themselves and bother no one.”

  Clay said, “Perhaps that’s why we never heard of them.”

  “Perhaps.” Korsh bared his toothridge in a Damargian smile. “This means, of course, that they may have interest in Damargian products that Hittorsh can supply, products that humans or Pagayans would have little interest in. Things look up. Now all I must do is convince my superiors to take the step of setting up the trade route.”

  “I’m sure that Tro Vremen hopes for your success.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Blue Powder

  Fandaff Station replied to Blue Powder’s request for docking, which Colleen sent upon dropping from hyperspace.

  “Look Clay, they report a Damarg trade ship at the station. Perhaps we’ll have some more work for Mr Korsh. We should tell him.”

  Clay looked at the chrono. “It’s the middle of the night, ship time. He’s likely in bed sleeping. And we should emulate him. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

  She nodded, gave over her place on the bridge to Sean Williams.


  Clay stood as well, and they walked together towards their quarters. “At least no one gets off the ship on Fandaff. That removes one item of work.”

  “Almost time to head back to Haida Gwaii,” she said. “Hard to believe that we’re just shy of a year on Blue Powder.” She put her arm around his waist as they walked, and melted into him. “And – except for the incident at Liberty – we’ve had a great year. Opened up a new trade route, made a new friend in Mr Korsh, and come through with a happy crew, a happy ship.”

  If Clay had any reservations, he didn’t mention them, for which Colleen felt grateful. She still hadn’t convinced him of the necessity of the total destruction of NB Lines.

  She felt his arm tighten about her shoulder and gave over all thoughts. Rest time. Play time.

  They awoke in the best of spirits. A message on the comm told them that the Damarg ship welcomed them for trade and had sent a list of goods available. Minda had scheduled a meeting.

  After breakfast, Colleen began her hunt for Korsh. She found him – small wonder – in the library.

  “Ah, Mr Korsh, found you at last.”

  He turned his head from his reader. “I do not hide, Ms Yrden.”

  She laughed at him. “Yes, I know. But we have work for you, again. Fandaff Station has a Damarg tradeship docked. Perhaps you could do some interpreting for us.”

  “Of course. When do we dock?”

  “In about three hours. Can you come on board with us?”

  “Of course. And after you finish trading, I must go to the Damarg Trade Desk to send word about Pelgraff back to my company.”

  “Of course.”

  * * *

  “I still marvel at the sight of the stars,” Korsh said from his seat in the acceleration lounge, as Blue Powder docked with the station, now in what had become his seat on the flight deck. “The immensity of space...” his voice faded. Some minutes later, he spoke again. “One could become lost forever in its beauty.”