The Bright Black Sea Page 9

  Chapter 09 Captain

  The Ghost, up from PortPrime appeared within the Lost Star's alert range late in the third watch on Firstday.

  'Anyone home?' asked Tallith Min, her voice from the com implant in my ear.

  I opened the link. 'Hello Min. I'll meet you on the port gangplank. I'm in the garden, so you may arrive before I do. Astro and Orbit will do the honors.

  'Astro and Orbit will suit me fine.'

  Moss gardens are rare in tramp ships. Most tramps rely on culture vats and synth-galleys to supplement food purchased from planet-side caterers. We mostly use our culture vat and synth-galleys for faux grains and meats. All our fruits, vegetables and the great variety of mushrooms essential to Mycolmtre cuisine are grow in a three-deck tall climate controlled garden attached to the galley. The plants grow on adjustable shelves in artificial 'moss' which anchors them and delivers water and nutrients. It demands a great deal of attention, individual plants must be hand tended, bound, pruned and harvested in order to thrive both in free fall and under acceleration, but we're devoted to our stomachs and we diligently tended the garden.

  Though we had picked the garden clean, there was still work to do. I was attending to our vinelina beans' vines, attached to an articulated arm that kept me in place over the plants. I had to extract myself from the stack, and pass through an air lock to strip off the light anti-contamination suit before exiting the garden.

  Min, dressed stylishly as usual in black and white, was already on the sunlit landing stage fending off the sloppy tongues of our official greeters when I arrived.

  'Welcome aboard,' I called out, hurrying to save her from the very lonesome delegation.

  'Captain,' she said with a rather wary nod, dodging the kisses of the bounding dogs.

  'Down you blasted hounds,' I said, snagging their collars to keep them on the deck. 'I'm afraid we're starved for company... I'm as happy to see you as they are, but far more inhibited...''

  'Right,' She muttered, giving me a look that I'd come to translate as “tramp spaceers...” She dried her face with her sleeve. 'It's been less than two days and I thought Dyn was also aboard.'

  'It's still lonely. Dyn's a fine shipmate, but iffy as company. He usually keeps to himself somewhere between the hulls. So it's only the hounds and an occasional cat to keep me company – makes the ship seem very big and rather eerie.'

  'Haven't seen Glen Colin about, have you?' That, with what may have been a fleeting smile.

  'No – we stay clear of the engine room – it's downright spooky. Still, I might've welcomed his company, though I much prefer yours,' I added and realized I was once more sailing near the edge.

  'I'm flattered.' She didn't even try to make it sound sincere.

  The vulnerable Min glimpsed for that second on the roof seemed destined to haunt my dealings with her every time we're together. We both were well aware of that moment. It seemed pointless to pretend I'd not seen the pain and loneliness she hides. Still, a spaceer is, almost by definition, someone who's going away so what could not be undone, would soon be gone. Sooner, if Min had her way.

  So Neb may care, I decided. 'Hardly flattery. You're far more pleasing company than a drunken ghost. Am I right, lads?' This to Astro and Orbit at my side. They barked their agreement. 'We all agree. All the more because I hadn't expected to hear from you until tomorrow at the earliest. Bringing good news, I hope?'

  She gave me an exasperated look, but got on to business, 'As a matter of fact, I am. It's all so very strange – inexplicable. I called the Ministry this afternoon and managed to reach one of Bangtonre's aides, who said that they were close to finishing the documents. In the meanwhile, I could do as I pleased with the Lost Star. I've no idea what documents he was talking about. Too stunned to ask. I was still trying to take it in, when he signed off. But if I heard right, it seems I've been given a free hand...'

  'You did it!'

  'I didn't do a Neb blasted thing. They just turned it over to me before I even asked. Makes me feel silly.'

  'Must be the last two years you've spent amongst the Taoists of Kimsai, You've mastered their secret of effortless efforts.'

  She sighed. 'I must have learned that effortlessly too, because I don't recall even trying to learn it... But that's not all my news. An hour ago, Phylea confirmed that the BlueStar Line is abandoning Calissant, leaving the Tiladore Commission in the lurch. We contacted them straight away. They're rather frantic to find a replacement to keep the project on schedule. I told them I had a suitable ship available for charter, though they might want to deal with a broker to assure themselves of the best terms. That didn't seem to register, they sent over their manifest and requirements almost before the conversation ended. I suspect our call was a life line to them.'

  'Will they go without other bids?'

  'Who knows? They may well calm down by tomorrow and put it out for bids.'

  'If so, what are our prospects? There's an anchorage of idle ships in orbit.'

  'Not really, not operating ones. Working ships don't linger, they take whatever cargo's available and push on. Our database suggests there may be just half a dozen tramps in orbit or inbound that could meet the Commission's time table.'

  'Who are we looking at?'

  'The Indus and Lyra, Distant Star Line, Anna Li, a Circle Star Line tramp, Scarlet Sun, a Rigtania Express, and two Azminn Worlds Express ships, the Sanre-tay Prime and Laslion Alpha. There are also assorted Calissant tramps in orbit, but none are manned at the present. Anything to add from your experience?'

  'Only that Captain Noy of the Lyra, is highly regarded. Distant Star gives their captains a very free hand in finding cargo, and Noy of the Lyra is their best,' I said, pausing to consider what I wanted to say next.

  'However, tramp captains are leery of passengers – should anything go wrong and passengers lost, it's likely the end of your career and maybe the company's as well. We leave that trade to the liners and the box tourist ships. I suspect even Noy would defer the decisions about a three thousand immigrant cargo to the Distant Star Line front office, and what they decide will likely depend, on how bad they want those credits.'

  'But you don't have a problem carrying three thousand immigrants?' Min asked, watching me closely.

  I shrugged. 'Candidly, I'd not be too heartbroken if we don't get the charter. Still, keeping the Lost Star in service is our prime priority so I'd not object, cargo's cargo. We can handle it. It's merely the consequences of a mishap that give me pause.'

  I was, indeed, less enthusiastic than when it was merely a rock in the drift. The risks were slight, but meteors can penetrate holds, container environmental units occasionally fail and fires or mechanical malfunctions can deprive ships of power for days, Rare, but somewhere in the space ways of Nine Star Nebula they likely happen on a daily basis. Bad business for regular cargo, but potential tragedies when it involves passengers. And at the back of my mind, there was always the slight risk of pirates as well. For these reasons Miccall never carried passengers, period.

  'What about the freight lines? I'd say we'd have to worry more about them than any tramp,' I said, perhaps too hopefully.

  'Only two possible in the time frame, the Z-line Azimuth, leaving on the third of SecondSpring, and a Tri-Star Packet Rigtania on 28 FirstSpring. Neither, of course, serves Tiladore direct. Times being what they are, they might be tempted to alter their run to call on Tiladore for 80 containers since it's not too far out of their usual track. More likely they'd just offer to arrange transshipment from Sanre-tay. We should be able to under bid them, their business departments are unlikely to discount their standard passenger fare even for a three-thousand-person package.'

  'Then we have the inside orbit.'

  'I believe so, and I intend to take advantage of it,' she replied. 'Tiladore's first priority is getting their immigrants off on schedule, so I want to make a prompt, competent impression by getting our bid to them or their broker tomorrow morning.'

  'Right, l
et's jump up to the chart room and see what we can work up,' I replied, seeing which way the drift was flowing.

  As the dogs raced us up the access well, she said, 'I'm thinking we'll offer several price points and transit times, to cover us in response to any competing bids... Failing to land this contract, my only real alternative is sending it empty to Sanre-tay at a loss.'

  'A minimal one if we take our time in transit, but let's see how the figures work out.'

  We swung out onto the bridge deck, Astro and Orbit waiting for us with wide grins.

  The dogs followed us to the chart room and settled quietly into the corner so I let them be. Min and I anchored ourselves alongside the large chart table and turned on the larger chart screen on the forward bulkhead as well. I called up the positions of Calissant and Tiladore and adjusted them for the scheduled departure day while Min downloaded the manifest information.

  Tiladore lays nearly opposite Calissant in the Azminn system. The most direct course would plunge us deep into the sun's gravitational well and use it to fling us back out again. How close we wanted to get to Azminn and how we wanted to fly around it had to be determined. Tiladore, however, is only a planet away from Sanre-tay and Sanre-tay was the first planet of call for Min's former ship, Aurora so I had an old hand on cross system navigation next to me.

  'I'm wondering if you'll work up the course options while I balance the ship and come up with the performance curve,' I suggested, adding, 'You're the expert here on cross system navigation. I've spent my entire career sailing the planetary belt.'

  She sighed. 'Really, Captain. I'd think a cross system plot not be beyond your powers as a pilot.'

  'I'd like to believe so. But why should I waste your time by running sims on all the possible courses when I have an expert beside me who can lay down the most likely course with her eyes closed? Besides, I'll still need to run the manifest data myself. If we split the tasks, we'll save time. I believe in efficiency.'

  'Point taken. I don't propose to spend the night watching you reinvent cross system navigation. Let's see if there's a clear optimal orbit...'she said mostly to herself and leaning over the table, began laying out the course.

  While she explored alternative courses, I entered the manifest data to calculate cargo weight, and using the ship's thrust and burn rates to determine the fuel cost profile. I added labor, insurance and depreciation cost to the various courses that Min worked up. Working with quiet professionalism, we combined our data to determine the optimal courses for three variations of speed and prices for our proposal.

  I studied her going over the formal proposals one last time. It had dawned on me that with the Ministry of Death signing off, she now had the power to decide my status. With prospects of sailing one way or another, my status needed to be determined, soon. Turning it over in my mind, I saw no advantage of letting it ride. I didn't think I'd be in better grace with her any time soon.

  'This may not be the best time to bring this up,' I began as she downloaded the proposal to her com link. 'but with events now moving fast, I'm wondering if I'm advising you as captain or as first mate?'

  'What would be the difference?' she asked after a slight pause and a sidelong glance.

  'As first mate, I'd keep all my opinions to a simple, Yes, ma'am I agree.'

  'And as captain?'

  'Well, as captain, I'd say I agree if I actually agreed or If you think so, ma'am, if I thought you wildly off course,' I replied, adding, 'I don't need an answer this moment, but with the fate of the Lost Star seemingly settled and the prospect of a charter looming, operational decisions will soon have to be made and I am wondering if I need to concern myself with them or not...'

  'Fair enough,' she said and paused. 'I don't know how much leeway the Ministry is prepared to give me. I'd likely still need to consult with them before replacing a captain, and make a case for doing it. I'd have a hard time making that case seeing that you've been captain for six months with a profitable voyage to your credit. Still, whether or not they care, the fact is that neither they nor I have any reason to replace you, based on your performance. So the real question is, do you wish to continue on as captain? I seem to recall some hesitation on your part. I believe it's up to you to decide, Captain, not me.'

  I found, to my surprise, I'd no doubt what I wanted.

  'Despite my earlier misgivings, I seem to have rather slipped into the role. So, if you're content to allow me the choice, I'd be happy and grateful to continue on as captain,' I replied with a surprising amount of happiness seeping in. The worries would, I'm sure, return, but in that moment, it was only happiness.

  'Fair enough, Captain. I'm certain your shipmates will approve as well, so we'll put that matter to rest. Now about our proposals...'

  No hint of her opinion, but still, with that rather off handed remark, I became Captain of the Lost Star.