Jasyn kicked her feet idly. The chair was not quite tall enough. It was set off to one side, very prominently not part of the gathering in the room. The Gypsy Council was debating again. She shifted restlessly.
Trade regulations were written, ratified by the Trade Council and Roland's staff. All that remained was the Gypsy Council. They had to accept the code, they had to be the example, take the lead, before the other ships and businesses would follow. They had been debating the code for the last ten days while Jasyn sat and fumed with impatience. Stupid, nitpicking, tiny details.
"Are we boring you?" Shonteroy asked.
Jasyn quit muttering and put on her sweetest smile. "Not at all, Council Leader," she said, her voice dripping acid. "It's taking you longer to just vote on the code than it took us to write it."
"You can leave," Shonteroy said pointedly.
"Roland would never forgive me if I weren't keeping an eye on you," Jasyn answered.
"The code must be reviewed, in its entirety, before we vote," Raven clan leader said. He still didn't trust her not to try slipping something past him.
She made herself stop fidgeting. They went back to their deliberations. They were less than halfway through the stack of printouts. At this rate it was going to take them another month to even get to a vote.
The door to the Council chamber eased open. A man hurried in. He rushed up to Shonteroy and whispered urgently to her. Jasyn watched, wondering what crisis had struck this time. Shonteroy's face went pale. The messenger hurried out.
Shonteroy shut her copy of the regulations. "Council is over," she announced, tight lipped and white faced.
Jasyn wasn't the only one confused. She rose to her feet as the other council members started asking questions. Shonteroy stayed in her seat, staring down at the table.
"What happened?" Jasyn asked.
Shonteroy looked up. The others stopped talking, waiting for an answer.
"Attacks, on at least a dozen different worlds," Shonteroy said, her voice breaking. "They blasted merchant ships out of the sky, without warning. Over a hundred are missing, presumed destroyed."
Jasyn stepped back, stunned by the news. So far, the shooting had been confined to armed ships. The merchants were allowed to run for cover without much harassment. Over a hundred ships lost? She knew without asking that they were Gypsy.
Shonteroy closed her eyes. "Petrel clan took most of the losses." She folded her arms, lost in her own grief. Petrel clan was her clan.
"What worlds?" Jasyn asked.
The others were clamoring for information. Shonteroy ignored them all. Jasyn knew there was no answer here. She ran from the room. Roland's people would know. They were the ones who had told Shonteroy. She had to know who was involved. The Phoenix was still at Linas-Drias, or at least she hoped it was. There had been no word. Roland had left with his fleet twelve days earlier.
She ran down the steps of the Gypsy building, what had once been the governor's mansion. Roland's government headquarters weren't far away. She ignored the curious looks she got as she ran down the street for the building.
Clark was there, on the front steps. He caught her as she ran for the door.
"You heard?" he asked.
"No details. Tell me what happened, Trevyn." She searched his face.
"We just got the first message. One ship limped into port barely an hour ago. They were attacked at Corisan. The news about six other worlds had just come in, right before the ships."
"Petrel is based on Corisan," Jasyn said. "Shonteroy isn't going to be any help."
"Trade regulations aren't going to help now."
"I know that. What ships? What worlds?"
"So far, just worlds on the border. The Phoenix shouldn't be anywhere near any of them."
She closed her eyes. She wanted to believe, but she couldn't. Trouble followed them too closely. "What am I supposed to do?"
Clark pulled her into a hug. "Deal with the Gypsies. Get them as safe as we can."
"Trade will break down completely," she answered. "People will starve."
"People are going to die, Jasyn. I think Roland just got his declaration of war."
"It isn't the Empire, or the Patrol."
He shook his head. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, just for a moment. She pushed herself straight.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Clark asked.
"What about Louie?"
Clark grinned, even if it didn't touch his eyes. "He's fine with Yancy's girls. They'll keep him happy for us."
"This isn't what I wanted for him, for us."
"It isn't what I want, either, but it's what we've got." He took her hand. "I'll see what I can get out of Roland's people. You go talk to the ships."
She shook her head. "Shonteroy should be the one. She's Council Leader."
"Her clan was practically wiped out. The captains respect you."
"And what am I supposed to tell them?"
She was acutely aware of the number of people watching the two of them. The steps of the government building were a very public place.
"What happened?" a woman asked her.
"We don't know for certain," she answered. She didn't want to start rumors, not until she knew all the facts.
"You know, you just don't want to tell us," the woman said, her voice turning ugly. There was a general muttering from the crowd gathering on the steps.
"I've only heard rumors," Jasyn said, trying to answer the woman. "Please, as soon as we know anything—"
"We've heard that before," the woman shouted. The crowd began to push forward towards her.
The doors of the government building opened. Troops in burgundy and blue uniforms marched out. Jasyn found herself in the middle. They moved the angry crowd back.
"You should get inside," one of the guards informed her.
"They need answers," she said, finding herself defending the angry woman.
"They'll get them," the guard said. "Get inside. They need you in the director's office."
She was hustled inside. She heard the guard talking to the crowd as the doors swung shut. Clark was at her elbow as she was escorted through the building and up the stairs. The director's office was on the second floor, an elaborate room big enough to hold an entire Council meeting. It looked like an explosion had already happened when she walked in.
Papers scattered across the floor. People hurried in and out. A hastily assembled com unit sat haphazardly on the huge carved table. The elegant trappings of the room looked strange next to the jumble of equipment and people now crowding the space.
Will Smythe was in the middle of it, talking to a dozen people at once. More kept rushing up to him. He caught sight of her and Clark and waved them over.
"You heard?" He didn't wait for her answer. "We didn't want to let the news out until we had a final count. I sent someone to the Gypsy Council meeting. I assume the Gypsies are dealing with it." He looked at her, waiting for a response. His eyebrows made it a question.
She shook her head. Her dark hair slithered free of the loose braid she'd put it in that morning. She tucked it impatiently behind her ear. "Shonteroy collapsed. The others are probably arguing. I left as soon as I heard. You do know most of Shonteroy's clan was on Corisan."
Will's face paled. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry."
"So are the rest of us," Jasyn answered. "What do you need me to do?"
"Get the Gypsies back together. We've got to get ships out there to assess the damage and keep goods moving." Will signed several pages. People rushed away.
"You aren't sending merchants," Jasyn said flatly.
"Merchants are what I have," Will answered, just as flatly. "Until I can get a message to Roland. He took practically everything with him when he left. We're sitting helpless, Jasyn. Merchants are the only ships I've got."
"The Gypsies aren't going to go," she said.
"They have to."
"They won't, not if they know they're going to be shot up. They're going to pull back. They're going to refuse. Your war was not supposed to be on unarmed ships."
"The Empire started it when they started confiscating ships."
"That wasn't the Empire shooting them up."
Will narrowed his eyes, studying her. The maelstrom of activity around him ceased abruptly. "So you figured it out," he said.
"I've known for a long time, Will. So stop lying and tell me the truth. Who are we really fighting? Tell me that and I'll see what I can get the merchants to do."
Will shook his head.
"Don't try to tell me it's a secret," Jasyn argued. "You know who's behind it. You know who's pushed the Empire into ruins. You know who's trying to destroy everything. Dace guessed, didn't she? That's why you wanted to send her to Linas-Drias. She knew who to look for. You sent her, hoping she'd stop it. Well, she hasn't."
"I don't know who's behind it," Will said, louder than he intended. "I wish I did," he added more quietly.
The people around him starting moving again. He signed a stack of papers and shoved them back at the aide who handed them to him.
"Crime syndicates, pirates, I just don't know," Will said. "I thought it was one woman on Linas-Drias, but now I don't know. This attack was planned to push us into pulling back. We have to keep trade open, Jasyn. No matter how dangerous it is."
"Will, you're sending merchants out to die," she protested. "I can't ask them to do that."
"You can and you will," he answered. "I'll arrange convoys and escorts. We have to keep things moving. We've already lost contact with what's left of the Inner Worlds. We can't afford to lose the rest of the Outer Worlds. Go out there and talk to the ships that are in port. Have them spread the word to the rest. The Fleet will escort merchant ships, any that sign your trade pact."
"The Gypsies haven't ratified it yet," Jasyn said.
"Then too bad for the Gypsies," Will said callously. "Individual ships can sign. And we'll hold them to it."
"And I'll hold you personally responsible for any ships that are lost," Jasyn said.
Will nodded. "Fair enough."
Jasyn found herself seated in front of a com unit. The tech was sending an alert to every ship currently anywhere near Tebros.
"How do I get myself into these things?" she asked just before he hit the final connect button.
Clark patted her shoulder. At least she had him for support. She wasn't alone in this. She cleared her throat and prepared to talk people into risking their lives on her word.