Commander Nyles’s office was only slightly pompous, much like the man himself. Jasyn and Clark had already left when the alarm woke me. I’d found an escort waiting for me outside the ship. They’d brought me here, to this office, with the thick carpet starting to show wear in the middle and paint that was chipped, but only in the corners where it didn’t show much. The whole room had a comfortable kind of luxury. The color scheme was what made it feel pompous. The walls were pale cream with deep burgundy trim and fretwork stenciled near the top. The carpet was burgundy on burgundy with hints of tarnished gold. The furniture was heavy wood, a local product that exuded an aura of age and dignity. I was looking everywhere except at Commander Nyles. I didn’t want to think about the planet. I didn’t want to answer his questions. I didn’t want to know what suspicions Hovart had planted.
I wandered across the room to look out the huge windows. They overlooked what could generously be called a garden. It consisted of a wide plaza with several pots of dead plants and some healthy looking weeds. The night’s rain had left puddles.
Commander Nyles was busy with a call, as he had been when I first arrived. He looked tired, not surprising since he’d probably been up all night. The landing field where the Phoenix sat looked like a junkyard. Most of the ships showed damage of one sort or another. I’d heard that four were still missing. The thunder of Patrol ships launching had woken me briefly in the middle of the night. I hoped those four ships were still coming. Three others had limped in with major damage from the ion storm. There hadn’t been casualties. I prayed that there wouldn’t be any.
“Captain Dace, sorry to keep you waiting,” Commander Nyles said graciously. He waved at the chairs pulled up to his desk. “Have a seat. Do you need anything? A drink?”
I shook my head and sat in one of the chairs.
Commander Nyles leaned back in his chair and studied me. “I heard some interesting things last night. Your name kept coming up.”
“And?”
“So tell me what happened.” He swiveled his chair, waiting.
“Aren’t you recording this? Don’t you want psych techs to verify it?”
“Do I need them?” He looked surprised.
“Am I being charged with anything?”
“Should I file charges against you?”
“Standard Patrol procedure.”
He frowned, spinning a stylus between his fingers. “Do you want to explain that remark?” His tone was definitely less friendly than it had been.
“I take it you haven’t looked at my file yet, or talked to Commander Hovart.”
The stylus kept twirling between his fingers.
“I just thought I’d get that out of the way first,” I said.
“Now you’ve made me curious.” Commander Nyles set the stylus down then tapped on his desk. A screen lit up. He tapped more, calling up information.
I could have kicked myself. Why couldn’t I have just cooperated and played dumb? Because it wouldn’t have worked and I would have found myself in deeper trouble. I still felt stupid.
“A most interesting file, yes,” Commander Nyles said after a few minutes. “What charges should I file? If I wanted to, I have grounds for trespassing, tampering with Patrol property, confiscation of said property, disregard of a Patrol officer’s orders in a dangerous situation, unauthorized first contact although that point is probably moot, endangerment of personnel, reckless overloading of your ship, and half a dozen others. And those are just the ones the Patrol can level. I won’t speak for the Guild but I know of several violations there as well.” He eyed me. “If I wanted to,” he repeated, emphasis on the if.
“So what do you want?”
“A complete account, a true one, because every single one of the charges can be excused without argument in light of what you managed to accomplish.”
I’d left yet another planet in flames, figuratively speaking. I seemed to drag chaos with me wherever I went. I didn’t say that out loud.
“Well? I am recording this interview, by the way.” He cracked a smile. Maybe things weren’t going to be that bad. Maybe I wasn’t going to end up behind bars. And maybe sand cats would learn to like water.
I gave up and started talking.
I told him about the emergency beacon and our decision to investigate. I told him about crashing on the planet, about seeing Jasyn and Clark captured. I told him honestly about breaking into the ships and helping myself. I explained why. I didn’t tell him about stealing Darus’ ring and the picture of my mother. That was personal. I didn't think Darus was going to press charges against me for it, either.
I told him what I’d seen and guessed about the golden men. I told him the whole messy escape plan and everywhere it went wrong. I told him about getting lost in the gigantic colony ship. I told him how brave and wonderful everyone around me had been. I tried to convince him that I’d had little to do with the actual escape. He wasn’t buying that part of the story.
“I’d give you a commendation,” he said when I finished, “except you don’t work for the Patrol. Not officially. So instead, let me offer you our thanks, officially, from the Patrol, for what you did.” He stood and extended his hand. I stood and let him shake mine. “You’re free to go. Your ship can stay docked on the Patrol field as long as you need. Without charge,” he added with a grin.
“Thank you, I think” It was not what I’d expected.
“Let me know if we can be of service to you,” he added. His desk com beeped. He sat back down and answered it.
I was dismissed. I still couldn’t quite believe I’d gotten off so easy. I left his office before he could change his mind.
Outside the building the sun was shining and the air was soft and warm. A playful breeze rippled the surface of puddles that were rapidly shrinking. The Patrol base was busy. People moved everywhere. It almost had a festival air. Most of them waved to me as I walked by.
I crossed the wide plaza in front of the main building to the gates that separated the Patrol base from the rest of the port city. A big crowd gathered at the gates. I didn’t think anything about it until I got close to the gates. The officer on duty saluted me.
“There she is,” someone in the crowd shouted. “That’s her!”
They surged forward, cameras waving. I stepped back in surprise. I looked behind me to see who they were looking at. There wasn’t anyone there. They were taking pictures of me. I stared at them in shock.
“Captain Dace,” one man shouted as he elbowed his way forward. “Tell us about the alien giants. Is it true they have four eyes?”
“Is their technology more advanced than ours?” A woman in a blue dress clawed her way to the front.
“Do they have a highly evolved ray gun?”
“What are their ships like?”
“How many of them are there?”
“When is the invasion?”
The questions peppered me. I wasn’t prepared. I turned away, almost running to escape.
One of the Patrol guards took pity on me. He hurried up to me. “Would you like an escort back to your ship?”
I heard the other guard telling the crowd that they would arrange some kind of interview in a day or two. I never thought it would involve me.
“Why are they waiting?” I asked, shooting a glance at the mob milling around the gates. “Why me?”
“It’s big news,” the Patrol officer said, looking surprised that I didn’t understand. “Ships landing since yesterday, all of them listed as missing. And people everyone thought dead suddenly coming back.”
“But why me?”
“You’re the one who did it.”
“No, I didn’t. I bungled it up. Everyone else made it happen.”
“I doubt that, captain. Will you need an escort farther?” We were out of sight of the gates.
“No, I’ll be fine now. Unless the Patrol are going to start mobbing me.”
“We have too much dignity for that.” He saluted me before returning to his post.
I went back to the Phoenix, still shaken by the encounter with the press. I had a lot of things to do. I needed to deal with what was left of my cargo, which meant I had to call the Guild offices and plead extenuating circumstances.
The Guild secretary who answered my call refused to forward it. “You must be present, in person, to file such claims,” she told me in a prickly voice. “And I can’t release that information over public lines. You must come in person to review your record.”
“I can’t come right now. There’s a media mob ready to eat me alive.”
The look she gave me said it was most definitely my problem, not hers. She broke the connection.
I called Durnago Medical Services next. They were the ones expecting my ruined cargo. I was passed up the line, from secretary to secretary, until I finally connected with the purchasing manager.
“Ah, the Phoenix Rising,” he said as soon as he saw my shipsuit. I had routed the call to the viewscreen as a courtesy. His face loomed over me. “You’re a month late.”
“That’s why I called.”
He pursed his lips. “Don’t give me your excuses, I watch the news. You’re still a month late. Fees and penalties will apply. When can we expect delivery?”
“That’s a bit of a problem.” He wasn’t going to like what I had to tell him. “Most of the cargo was damaged and is undeliverable.”
He narrowed his eyes. I wondered if he had snake genes somewhere in his ancestry.
“Clause forty three, paragraph seven, sub heading five,” he said. “You pay for cargo lost or damaged in shipment, full replacement value, as well as a handling fee, and you refund the entire advance payment. What of the rest of the cargo?”
“It was opened, to check for damage.” I wasn’t about to admit that it was opened to raid it for supplies.
“If seals are broken on the crates, the cargo is unacceptable. We refuse shipment of all goods. You will receive a bill from us, for the full value of the cargo, all fines and fees, and a return of your advance, complete with interest. I will also be filing charges against you with the Guild. Gross mishandling of cargo, breach of contract—”
“Wait just one minute. I have an explanation.”
“Tell it to the media,” he said crisply. Then cut me off.
I fumed in my chair. I made sure the switch was off before I launched into a detailed and highly imaginative description of his ancestry. It included a lot of gruesome creatures like snakes and slime molds and lawyers.
“Just what is going on, Dace?” Jasyn asked from behind me.
I jumped, I hadn’t heard her come in to the cockpit.
“Where did you go?” It came out an accusation. “I’m sorry. I was trying to take care of what’s left of our cargo.”
“Didn’t go well, I assume,” she said. “The Patrol wanted to ask us some questions. It took forever.”
The printer spat paper into the slot. I shied away from it, as if it were going to bite me. Which it probably was. More papers tumbled into the slot. Jasyn picked them up.
“Durnago Medical Services,” she read. She scanned over the rest. “It’s a bill for noncompliance with a trade and shipping contract. Fifty seven thousand credits? That’s outrageous!”
“Fifty seven?” I squeaked. I stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. It didn’t help that I’m quite a bit shorter than she is. She handed me the paper.
“What’s going on, ladies?” Clark had a cup in one hand and a cookie in the other. Jasyn had been baking again, although when, I wasn’t sure.
“We’re being assessed fifty seven thousand, and some change, for breach of contract,” Jasyn told him.
“And they’re filing charges against us with the Guild,” I added, flipping to a new page. “It will cost my membership for sure. We don’t have the funds to fight this.”
“They can’t do that.” Clark reached for the papers.
I handed them over. “Yes, they can, and they are.”
“Hail the ship and all that,” someone called from the open hatch.
The voice was familiar. Jasyn and I looked at each other and grinned.
“What?” Clark demanded.
“Come in, Leon,” I said, stepping around Clark and going to the hatch.
Leon was just as short and weasely as I remembered. He was a lawyer who’d managed to get Jasyn, her brother, and me off almost completely in the Sessimoniss affair. He was the perfect answer to our current problem.
“What brings you here? Want a cookie? Help yourself.” I gave him my widest smile.
“Warm welcome, that isn’t like you, Dace,” he said.
“For our favorite lawyer?” Jasyn gave him a hug and a kiss on his balding forehead.
He turned a bright shade of purple. “You want something, don’t you?”
“Who’s he?” Clark asked his wife.
“Old family friend,” Jasyn answered, turning her back on Leon to face Clark. She gve him silent signals. He backed off. “Leon Gravis, meet my husband, Trevyn Clark.”
“A pleasure,” Leon said with a big smile. He walked over to Clark, his hand out. “Quite a woman you got there.”
Clark looked like he’d eaten one too many quiizo fruits. His smile was more than a little strained. They shook hands.
Leon bounced around, smiling at me and Jasyn. “And how are my two favorite ladies?”
“In a bit of a pickle, actually,” Jasyn said. “But sit down first. Tell us why you dropped in for a visit. Lady Rina is well, isn't she?”
We all sat at the table. Jasyn fetched what was left of her latest batch of cookies.
“Lady Rina is fine. She has investments here,” Leon said around a mouthful of cookie. “She sent me to check on them. I work for her now,” he added at my surprised look. “If I were thirty years older or she was thirty younger.” He broke off with a sigh. “So, anyway, I’m here checking on her investments, and what do I see on the latest newscast but you. So I came to say hi.”
“How’d you get in, Leon?” I asked.
“Told them I was your lawyer, retained and all that. I am, aren’t I?”
“Most definitely,” Jasyn said, with a wicked smile. She took the papers from Clark and spread them on the table. “And here’s our problem. Dace?”
I summed up the situation as quickly as I could.
“What’s she’s leaving out,” Clark said, “is the whole situation that made us late and damaged the cargo.” He proceeded to give Leon a very different version of events of the last few weeks, very different at least from how I would have put it.
“Durnago Medical Services,” Leon said, rubbing his hands together. “Contracted through Black Shipping, no doubt. Rest easy, your problems are solved. Lady Rina owns over a third of their voting stock. I need your cargo manifest,” he added.
I fetched it.
We went over it line by line, checking serial numbers and items and pricing. The figures Durnago Medical Services had sent were a lot higher than the ones on our original manifest. Leon was chuckling like a lunatic before we were done.
“This is going to be good,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Overinflation of cargo value is not a minor offense.”
“Neither is failure to deliver,” I said. “The point of this, Leon, is not to bankrupt Durnago. It’s to keep our standing in the Independent Traders Guild. If we have to pay, we have to pay.”
“You know what your problem is, Dace? You don’t think about the possibilities. You aren’t willing to take a risk now and then.” Leon shuffled papers while he talked.
Clark sputtered cookie crumbs over the table. Leon brushed them off, giving Clark a dirty look.
“Never take a risk? How well do you know her, Leon?” Jasyn spoke for Clark. Clark was still having difficulty breathing crumbs. “How do you think we keep getting into these messes?”
“Gotcha,” Leon said, grinning at Jasyn. He shoved the papers together, thumping them on the table to straighten them. “As I see it, we can nail Durnago to the wall, get most of those charges dismissed. You’ll still have to pay something, their contract is pretty tight. I’ll go over it later, see if there’s any holes to wiggle through. As for the Guild, let me do some research. I think we can fix this without too much trouble.”
“And what do we owe you when it’s over?” Clark asked. He’d finally coughed out the last of the cookie.
“Lady Rina pays me to keep an eye on you, when I run into you. No charge to you for this. You make it fun to be a lawyer.”
“At least let us take you out to dinner, or something,” Jasyn said.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, remembering the crowd at the gate.
“I’ll collect later,” Leon answered. “I’ve got a million things to do besides take care of this for you. Lady Rina has more connections through here than the government.” He stood.
“Leaving already?” Jasyn asked.
“Have to,” he answered. “Thanks for the snack. And the challenge.” He waved the papers at us and was gone. Jasyn hurried out with him, walking him across part of the field.
“How many more weird people are there that you two know and I don’t?” Clark asked.
“Quite a few,” I said truthfully.