The ship was fairly quiet, for once. Louie was asleep, as were most of the others. It was the first time in the last four days Lowell felt he could actually think. The ship was just too small for the number of people crowded on board. Lowell leaned back in his chair, studying the ceiling. It was odd, he thought, how different it felt to not be the one in charge. Jasyn had made it very clear she was the one calling the shots. They expected him to object and take over. He was happy to step aside. So far. He didn't have enough information to really make a good decision. Jasyn's choices, though they weren't the ones he would have made, were acceptable. Luck was definitely on her side.
The only piece that didn't fit, that he would never have allowed, was Ananda. She'd stayed in the background, trying too hard not to draw attention to herself. He knew she was up to something, but he had no idea what. Once they came out of hyperspace, she would have to be watched very closely. Zik'taura was still technically Imperial, unless things had changed drastically over the last two weeks. It was far enough out the Patrol wouldn't have ships there. At least that was what everyone hoped.
He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Hope was a strange thing. And so was luck. He'd never expected to catch up with them, not for weeks. Having Paltronis show up at the same port was definitely more than coincidence. Maybe they were right. Lady Rina and her luck were still with them. Maybe he needed sleep so he could think clearly.
He sat up and opened his eyes. He was tired. But there were so many loose ends, pieces that didn't fit yet, questions he couldn't answer. He found it hard to sleep.
He pulled the handcomp Clark had loaned him across the table. He opened the file he'd started. Lists of questions, stray bits of data, whatever he had, was there. It still didn't make sense.
Dace had disappeared from Tireo, kidnapped by a hired thug by the name of McKane. If Ananda could be believed, he was hired by Ren Matthias, a low ranking independent trying to make a fortune. As far as Lowell could find out, Matthias wasn't affiliated with any particular syndicate. He played as many as he thought he could get away with. He was the one behind selling Dace at the arms bazaar. The why was easy; he wanted to get rich. Matthias was most likely a dead end, and most likely dead by now. Tracing him wasn't going to get them anywhere important.
They needed to find out who had bought Dace. That answer would determine their next step. He had his suspicions, but no solid evidence. And his list of possible buyers was much too long. He tapped his finger on the table next to the handcomp. He needed information and he had no way to acquire it. It was frustrating.
Clark yawned sleepily on his way past the table. Lowell watched him as he entered the cockpit. Clark flipped switches, settling into the pilots chair.
"How soon?" Lowell asked.
"We should hit the jump point in about fifteen minutes," Clark answered. "And if the repairs hold, we should be landing in about an hour."
Lowell picked up the handcomp and walked to the cockpit. "Mind if I join you?"
"Go ahead," Clark answered. He ran a quick check of the thruster system and yawned again. "What great insights do you have to offer?" he asked when he finished.
"I have some guesses, not much else."
"Your guesses are better than mine."
"We need to trace the buyer, not the seller." Lowell waited for Clark to object.
"I know," Clark said, agreeing with him instead. "But so far, the only lead we have is the seller. We find Ren Matthias and we beat the buyer's name out of him."
"If he even knows it."
"That would be a problem," Clark said. "You'll find out the information. I have great confidence in your abilities."
"I need access to the Patrol database, an updated one. It would also help to get into whatever the syndicates are using."
"You need Scholar for that."
"And he's missing. I tried to find him." Lowell shook his head.
Clark studied him. "What, Lowell?" he asked after a long minute.
"The syndicates are winning. They buried me in the High Command. I couldn't find the location of bathrooms in a public building. They shut me off from everything."
"So the Empire finally falls. It won't be your personal fault, Lowell."
"So I should stop feeling guilty about it? I don't. I feel guilty for the people I failed. Like Scholar and Dace."
"I'm not your confessor, Lowell."
"I'm not asking you to be."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"Because you seemed sympathetic."
The reentry alarm sounded. Clark flipped the com switch. "Ginni or Twyla? I need someone up here now." He flipped it back off. "I hope I got the right cabin. I have no idea where anyone is sleeping on this ship."
"Not even your wife?"
"Don't get personal."
"She was the best decision you ever made, Clark. I'm glad it's worked out for you."
"Now you're getting maudlin."
"I'm getting old."
Jasyn and Twyla both walked in, yawning. Jasyn wore bright purple pajamas. Twyla wore a rumpled shipsuit.
"You're in my chair," Jasyn said to Lowell.
He shifted to the other side of the cockpit. She took the nav chair and booted up the system. Twyla had the copilots station.
"Thruster pressure is a bit low," Clark told Twyla. "Keep an eye on it."
"Yes, sir," Twyla said through another yawn.
Lowell watched them work together. They fit, they were a team. They belonged. He wondered if he'd ever belonged anywhere. Clark was right. He was getting maudlin.
He toyed with the handcomp while they made the downshift to normal space. Zik'taura was just ahead. They saw no sign of Patrol ships in the area and only a handful of merchants. The port official who answered their hail was pure business. They were given an approach path that took them straight in.
Zik'taura was a huge planet, halfway to gas giant status. The gravity was much too high for most species. The atmosphere was too thick, laced with poisonous gases. They docked at the station orbiting the planet.
"Everett's ship is three berths to port," Jasyn said. "Who wants to go with me to visit?"
"I'll go," Lowell offered.
"We leave after Clark deals with station authority," Jasyn said, as she stood. She dropped a kiss on top of Clark's head. "I'm going to change."
"And I know," Clark said, "don't let them overcharge us."
"Not by too much," Jasyn said. "Unless Lowell happens to have lots of cash stowed somewhere."
"Give me a few minutes," Lowell said as he plugged the handcomp into the dataport.
"Are you serious?" Jasyn asked.
"I should have some kind of account here," he said as he logged into the station's datanet. He typed on the pad and frowned. "I should have had something here."
"Let me know when he's done," Jasyn said. She yawned and stretched as she walked out.
"Do you want me to run another diagnostic?" Twyla asked Clark. "The thrusters were fine on the way in."
"Go ahead," Clark said. "We should run the full set, just in case. Station authority is on the way." He patted Twyla on the shoulder as he slid out of his seat. He brushed past Lowell.
They heard him opening the hatch, securing the airlock seals around it. The station locked power feeds and fuel lines to the ship automatically. Lowell kept digging through the datanet. Twyla ran the diagnostics on the engine systems.
Lowell frowned at the message on his screen. None of his aliases were showing up here. He typed in a different set of inquiries. The answers to those made him smile, just a bit. He kept digging. When the handcomp ran out of memory, he dumped the extra files into the ship's computer.
"What have you got?" Clark asked when he returned.
Lowell glanced up, to be sure Clark was asking him and not Twyla. Clark stood over his shoulder, trying to read the screen of the handcomp. Twyla was still busy with the ship.
"None of my accounts are accessible here," he said. "Except the one with my real name on it. If I tap into that, the Patrol will be here within days. In full force."
"The only retirement plan for High Command is to die?" Clark asked.
"For me, at least. I didn't like the benefits they offered."
"What do you have, Lowell? Jasyn's right. We are low on cash. And the Gypsies aren't going to be offering us any credit."
"Dace has almost a million credits in her account. It's not tagged or frozen that I can tell. They must believe she's out of the game for good."
"Who, Lowell?"
"I never could find out. Anytime I got close, my people disappeared. They tried to kill me at least once."
"Then tell me what game they're playing."
"Destroy the Empire. The game I can't win."
"This is a setup?" Clark asked. "Kidnapping Dace was part of the plan?"
Lowell shrugged. "I can't tell for sure. But who was the biggest threat to them, besides me?"
"Dace? You're kidding."
"She spent several months on Linas-Drias, associating with the cream of society. They suspected, but never proved, she was my agent. She's good, Clark, much better than you ever were."
He got a surprised glance from Twyla at that comment.
"She's even better, now? Is that it? She should never have been your agent, Lowell." Clark's voice was hard, unforgiving.
"I agree. And we've been over that argument many times. It doesn't change the fact that whoever is behind the syndicates believes she's the real threat."
"And how do you know this?"
"I don't know. I'm guessing, based on the headlines and the information I just downloaded."
"All of that was right there on the front page? Why didn't I notice it?"
"It isn't that simple, Clark. Read between the lines, put bits of information together," Lowell shrugged again. "It's what isn't there that has me convinced. Someone wanted Dace out of the way permanently. They made it easy for Ren Matthias to take her."
"And you are going to make it easy for us to get her back."
"I'll do my best. Starting with this." Lowell tapped his screen. "You now have access to nine hundred thousand credits. Do you want it delivered as cash or goods? Because it won't do you any good in the Federation as a credit account."
"Whatever you think best."
"What are you agreeing to?" Jasyn asked. She was dressed in her green shipsuit, her hair pulled back into a tight braid.
"Lowell's making us rich, or so he thinks." Clark grinned at Lowell. "Once we get out of the Empire, we have access to millions."
"Unless the Gypsies have frozen our business interests," Jasyn said.
"Leon won't let them do that. Half the Federation's economy would collapse if they pulled our businesses away." Clark grinned wider at Lowell's confusion. "We own quite a large piece of the trade and shipping industry in the Federation. Leon diversified for us."
Lowell still looked confused.
"Lady Rina's estate," Jasyn said. "We inherited millions and the war only helped. Leon knows he's not supposed to gouge people."
"Unless they deserve it," Twyla put in.
"So you don't want the money?" Lowell asked.
"If it belongs to Dace, we'll take it and keep it for her," Clark said.
"We'll use it to buy her freedom," Jasyn said. "Let's go see what Everett found out for us."
"Why do you need me?" Lowell asked.
"Because I like your company?" Jasyn offered. She smiled at him. "Let's go."
The station was not very busy, not as busy as it should have been.Only a few ships were docked. Most of them were in the bay where the Phoenix was. The huge ore freighters, the ones still operating, docked on the other side of the station to wait for the shipments from the planet.
They crossed to the Windrigger's berth. The hatch was closed but not locked. Jasyn raised her hand to knock. The hatch slid open before she could.
Everett's pilot waited for them on the other side. She nodded a greeting. "Everett's waiting for you," she said as they entered the ship. She closed the hatch before following them into the main living area.
Everett sat at the galley table, smoothing his very thin mustache. He glanced up and smiled at Jasyn. "You're giving him back?" he asked, gesturing at Lowell.
"I think we'll hang on to him for a while," Jasyn answered. "Too much paperwork to get him back off crew."
Everett laughed. "You signed him on as what? Your espionage expert? Have a seat." He nudged one of the empty chairs at the table.
Jasyn sat.
Lowell hesitated only a moment before sitting. "Did you get it?" he asked Everett.
"We picked up your mole, too," Everett said. "Things were getting a bit too hot for her on Jubal Prime. She's got your information. They picked up tabs on Matthias. I'm not sure what help it will be. Matthias hasn't been seen in his usual spots for over a month."
"Then that means we need to beat it out of Ananda instead," Jasyn said. "I was hoping to leave her here."
"She doesn't know," Everett said. "She's been playing you for a fool."
"Thanks, Everett," Jasyn snapped.
"She knows more than she's been telling," Lowell said. "Don't dismiss her yet. Where's my agent?"
"Melia? She's in the medunit. She was barely conscious when we caught up with her. She won't be talking for at least another week." Everett leaned back in his chair.
"We can't stay here that long," Jasyn said.
Everett studied her face for a long moment. "The Patrol wants you. You can't stay in the Empire."
"And the Federation isn't much better," Jasyn said. She rubbed her face in her hands. "Did you hear the latest Council edict?"
"That you are no longer a clan? I heard." Everett's voice was flat, his face gave away nothing.
"And?" Jasyn asked. She dropped her hands into her lap. "Why are you still helping me?"
"Because, cousin, you're still my friend." Everett smiled, just a little. "I'm not the only one who'll help. You just have to ask, Jasyn."
"You'd defy the Council?"
"What they don't know, won't hurt them." This time his smile had teeth. "What can they do to me? You control more of the shipping trade than they do. I'm just watching out for my own interests."
Jasyn laughed. Everett grinned. Lowell shook his head.
"I've got something else you might be interested in," Everett said. "I stole it from the Patrol office when we were getting Melia out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper folded roughly into quarters. He placed it on the table. "The location of one Malcolm Tayvis. Someone in the Patrol wants him found, as badly as you do." He pushed the paper into the middle of the table.
"Why?" Jasyn asked.
"He's almost as dangerous as Dace," Lowell said. "At least they think so. You just happened to find this?"
"No, Melia stole it. She knew his name was flagged by both parties. She made sure I got it, but the Patrol won't be far behind." Everett lifted his finger from the paper. "What are you going to do with him?"
"Slap him silly when we find him," Jasyn said.
"We could use his help, Jasyn." Lowell picked up the paper.
"He walked out on Dace. She won't forgive him for it."
"You're underestimating her again." He unfolded it. "She still trusts him, doesn't she?"
"She still has a shrine to him in her cabin," Jasyn reluctantly admitted.
"This I have to see," Everett said.
"Two pictures and every note he ever sent her," Jasyn said. "It isn't worth seeing."
"What do we owe you for this, Everett?" Lowell fingered the scrap of paper.
"Nothing," Everett said. "List me as part of Shellfinder clan. Officially."
Jasyn looked up sharply. "Why?"
"Because for the last month I've been claiming clan affiliation with you. It was the only way to justify what I was doing."
"And what of your birth clan?"
"What of them?" He shrugged. "Things are changing, Jasyn. The Council is ripping the clans apart."
"Over me?"
He shook his head. "Over a lot of things. You were just the final straw that broke the Council wide open. It was going to happen eventually."
"Shellfinder doesn't exist, Everett. Not anymore. They ruled Lady Rina's pronouncement was void. The clan died with her."
"Jasyn, when will you realize the Council is not all powerful?" He shook his head. "Lady Rina had a lot of respect, from everyone. Her adoption of you and the others still stands. Despite the Council." He leaned across the table towards her. "They aren't some mystical, mythical group. You should know. You're still Council Leader, as far as most of the clans are concerned. Shellfinder is a very powerful clan. Don't let them intimidate you." He leaned back again. "There are at least a dozen other ships that would change affiliation if you gave them approval. Shellfinder doesn't have to stay small."
Jasyn glanced behind him, at the crew standing in the doorway to the room. She sighed and shifted her gaze back to Everett. "You're serious."
Everett nodded.
"Then welcome to my clan." She smiled ruefully. "You do know you'll be a fugitive."
"Not yet," he answered. "We'll leave a message for you at Pelucid in two weeks. I've got some ideas of where Matthias might be hiding. Melia might have more information."
"I'll watch for it," Jasyn said. She looked at Lowell. "So where is Tayvis hiding?"
"On an automated ore facility near Beaumont," Lowell said as he studied the scrap of paper.
"Let me know how it goes," Everett said.
"I'll leave you a message," Jasyn answered. She smiled at him as they left.