"Gentlemen! There is no need for weapons." A short, stocky man, who I recognized from a vid as Ambassador Turnigy, pushed his way through Petar's cohorts. Dressed in deep green robes that shimmered as he walked, he placed himself between the two groups.
"What's the meaning of this?" I asked. I moved my nano-blade so it wasn't directly pointing at Turnigy.
"It is a simple matter of unfortunate timing," Turnigy said. "Lord Kiirilov dropped by for an impromptu visit and was just leaving. Am I correct, Lord Kiirilov?"
Petar glared at Turnigy's back. I could tell he wanted to do something, but was resisting the urge.
"This is not over," he said.
I imagined he was speaking to me and started to reply when Turnigy cut me off.
"You have delivered your message most forcefully, Lord Kiirilov. I will convey it with all haste to our Monarch," Turnigy said, still facing me. "If you would like the continued hospitality of our embassy, I'll be happy to accompany Captain Hoffen and his crew to an alternate location."
"You should not be meeting with these criminals. They are enemies of Oberrhein," Petar said.
"And yet, I have been directed to meet with them. The nation of Oberrhein has extended an invitation to Loose Nuts and they will be peacefully met. Such is the nature of diplomacy," Turnigy said. "Mr. Hoffen, if you would retract your blade, we will retire to another, more suitable location."
I looked from Turnigy to Petar and made up my mind. If he was going to shoot me, it wasn't like my nano-blade would stop blaster fire. I flicked the blade so it disappeared and slid it into a small pocket at my waist.
"That won't be necessary. We were just leaving," Petar said.
He lowered his pistol, but didn't holster it, and pushed past the Ambassador. I stared him down as he passed. He wanted to say something, but to his credit, he didn't. I wasn't sure what I'd done to him, but I could see in his eyes how much he loathed me.
I was tense as he and his four henchman reached the bottom of the stairs where Tabby, Nick and Marny were standing with weapons lowered. I knew that this could turn ugly quickly and rested my hand on the grip of my flechette.
"Until next time, Red," he sneered at Tabby as he walked by.
"More than happy to do this right now, worm," she said, taking a step toward him.
Two of his group closed in to intercept, but he stopped them, laughing. "Soon. I'll take great pleasure in showing you how a lord trains a woman for service."
I didn't have to see her face to know that it was the perfect bait for her. Fortunately, Marny also understood the impact of his words and stepped between them.
Petar kept walking and soon disappeared from sight.
The rain picked up and large drops splashed against the ground, the water now falling faster than could be drained away.
"Welcome to Nannandry, Captain Hoffen," Ambassador Turnigy offered his hand cordially.
Out of reflex, I accepted it. While he was significantly shorter than even Nick, his hand easily enveloped my own.
"Thank you, Ambassador. Would you care to explain what that was all about?" I asked.
"Perhaps we could step inside. I know it's unusual, but I find that I prefer to talk inside, out of the rain," he said.
Nick, Tabby and Marny joined us on the landing at the top of the stairs and we followed the Ambassador into the embassy or his home - I wasn't sure which.
In contrast to all of the primitive building materials we'd seen since arriving on Nannandry, the foyer's floor was covered with ornate red tile and the walls were a light gray, smoothed flat but rounded at the arched entry ways and around corners. It was an elegant look.
"Cap. I'm going to let Ada know she might have company. Maybe a few of us should go back. If Petar has his cruiser here, she'll need help," Marny said.
"Petar arrived in a shuttle and if anything, he would fear discovery by your ship," Turnigy offered.
Marny nodded and stepped aside so she wouldn't interrupt our conversation as she made contact with Ada.
"Eloá, your timing is perfect," Turnigy said. A small woman appeared from the hallway and handed out plush, bright white towels. "We'll be meeting in the den. Would you escort the young lady when she finishes her conversation?"
"Yes, Mr. Turnigy," she answered, bowing her head slightly.
The humble exterior of the home did not accurately reflect the beauty we found inside. Turnigy led us down a long hallway and through a pair of glass paneled doors. Colorful wood furniture with soft cushions littered the room in several seating groups. Turnigy beckoned for us to join him.
"Eloá will be along shortly with refreshments," he said.
"What was Petar doing here?" I asked.
"Lord Kiirilov is a member of the royal court of Oberrhein and as such had business to discuss," he said.
"That didn't look like a friendly discussion."
"No. I don't like to talk about our business out of turn, but I believe he intended to murder me this day," he said.
"What stopped him?" I asked as Marny entered the room.
"I believe you did," he said. "Whiskey?"
He picked up a tray from a side table. On it was a crystal bottle filled with an amber liquid and several matching glasses.
"Whiskey sounds good. Tell me, Mr. Turnigy, why would Petar Kiirilov want to kill you?" I accepted the heavy glass with a centimeter of whiskey in the bottom.
"Let us drink first. There is much to discuss," he said, handing out the glasses. Once distributed, he held up his glass. "To new friendships."
"New friends," I agreed and took a generous drink. I knew I was in trouble as the liquid burned the second it hit my lips and didn't stop until it was well into my stomach. I'd never had straight whiskey before and was unable to stop myself from gasping and wheezing.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, Mr. Hoffen. There are few things Grünholz makes well. Whiskey is one of them," he said.
I coughed and smiled, still embarrassed. I caught Tabby's eye, which sparkled with humor at the involuntary admission of my lack of experience with alcohol.
"To hospitality and a dry home," Marny offered.
Turnigy nodded to her appreciatively and raised his glass. This time I was more careful and while the whiskey still burned, I was able to avoid gasping.
"You asked a reasonable question, Mr. Hoffen. Now that we've shared a drink, we are all friends. Let us sit as friends and talk. Lord Kiirilov is a disturbed young man with sights set well beyond the length of his arms," he said.
I wasn't completely sure what he meant, but felt like I had the general idea. "Is Kiirilov from here? Is that how he became a lord?"
"No. You must understand, Mr. Hoffen, the economy of Grünholz is in a precarious position. We are rich in biological diversity, but very poor in minerals. Lord Kiirilov approached Lord Benesch, who until very recently commanded two cruisers executing trade through the gates," he said. "Kiirilov was to join Lord Benesch and establish trade that would result in the expanded delivery of minerals to our economy. In short, he was granted his title so he could expand this trade."
"He owes me a ship," I said flatly.
"That is not how he sees it, of course. As you might imagine, he has painted you and yours to be a villainous crew, bent on the destruction of Oberrhein," he said.
"How does this result in him attempting to murder you?" Nick asked.
"He learned of our meeting and I believe he feared what we might discuss. It was a desperate move on his part," Turnigy said.
"Could he kill you without repercussions?" I asked.
"With the limited technology of Nannandry, his trip would have gone unnoticed. It says something that he stood down when you and your crew showed up. He must not have felt he would survive," Turnigy said.
"That's because I was prepared to drill a hole in his head," Tabby said.
"His assessment was correct. He held the high ground, but his crew wasn't professional," Marny agreed.
"Ambassador Stephano said
you requested this meeting. What did you want to talk about?" Nick asked.
"Ah, right to the point. I suspect if you were to replay his words, you would discover that he suggested that I would be interested in talking with you. As it turns out, it was Ambassador Stephano who suggested that you might have information critical to the wellbeing of Oberrhein. But, let us not get distracted by semantics. Lord Kiirilov's visit, in combination with Ambassador Stephano's communication, leads me to believe you have a compelling story that needs repeating," he said.
"It's a long story," I said.
"I'll ask Eloá to make sandwiches. And, please, start at the beginning. I do enjoy a good story."
As a group, we'd become quite adept at recounting the facts, so much so that we knew when to pause and allow someone else to pick the story up. After an hour, Eloá appeared with a platter filled with small sandwiches and finger-sized desserts.
"It is your contention that Lord Kiirilov and Atin Emre destroyed Cape of Good Hope and her crew, that they are subverting the construction of Belirand's Terminal Seven, and are attempting to enslave Belirand's mining colony in the Descartes asteroid belt?" he said.
"Your words, Mr. Turnigy," Nick said. "But your analysis of these events is close to our own."
"We have no direct quarrel with Oberrhein," I said. "We do have an issue with Kiirilov and indirectly with the Emre brothers. We believe in right and wrong and if we can prove they had anything to do with the events leading to the destruction of Cape of Good Hope, we will, of course, bring this to the proper authorities."
"I am glad you are able to separate the actions of Lord Kiirilov from that of Oberrhein. There is still the matter of your destroying our ship, Stenka. This has allowed Lord Kiirilov to present you and your crew as outlaws to the king and the other lords. What would you say to them?" he asked.
"It is a simple matter to prove that your three ships hunted us down in open space. It is equally easy to prove that we acted in self-defense. The fact that we defeated a cruiser with a tug speaks more to the ineptness of your captains than it does any amount of aggression on our part," I said.
"How would you prove this?" he asked.
"We turned our data streams over to Nuage Air Defense for a complete, forensic audit. We have authorized their release to Oberrhein," Nick said.
"So you have. Even so, there are those who believe we should make an example out of you," Turnigy said. "That your company represents a real threat to Oberrhein's sovereignty simply by standing up to us."
"Kiirilov painted us into a corner. We reacted to his aggression and have taken no provocative action against him or Oberrhein. We have a saying where I come from; 'if you mess with a bull, you get the horns,'" Marny said.
"Most aptly spoken, Ms. Bertrand," he said. "Is this how you all feel?"
"The Kordun and the Karelia might outgun us, but we have something they don't."
"What is that, Mr. Hoffen?" he asked.
"We're fighting for our family. We cannot afford to lose," I said.
"Very well. It is important to know the level of your dedication. You have given me much to think about. Will you be staying in the area for long?" he asked.
"We have goods to pick up and deliver to Léger," I said. "After that, we were planning another trade mission."
"Please check in with me before you depart Léger. I will contact King Kostov and relay what you've shared."
"Answer one question, Ambassador?" Nick asked.
"What is that, Mr. James?"
"What happens to Oberrhein if Belirand discovers that your nation aided Atin Emre in the destruction of Cape of Good Hope?" Nick asked.
"I would be careful about spreading that particular lie around, Mr. James. Oberrhein would take great offense to that accusation," Turnigy said.
"I agree, Ambassador. Only a rogue operative would be involved in such an operation," Nick said.
"I believe we understand each other," Turnigy agreed, standing up, his hand held out.
I'd seen this particular maneuver enough times to recognize that we were dismissed and indeed, ten minutes later, we found ourselves standing outside the front of Ambassador Turnigy's home.
"What was that last bit about a rogue operation?" Tabby asked looking at Nick.
"If it were to become known that Oberrhein attacked a Belirand ship, imagine what Belirand might do," Nick said.
"So, why don't they just turn Kiirilov over?" Tabby asked.
"It's one thing to think Kiirilov did something and another thing entirely to know it. King Kostov has a problem," Marny said. "Without proof, he can't move against one of his lords. His problem is that he didn't vet Kiirilov very well."
"And now it's our problem," Tabby said.
"It sure is," I said. "We learned some important things, though. Oberrhein isn't directly out for us and if we can prove Kiirilov acted against Belirand, we can finish this. Let's hope Jake found something."
We'd made it back to the main market. The rain had lessened enough that it felt like a light mist.
"What are you expecting from Jake?" Tabby asked.
"Motive," I said. "Why would Emre want to destroy that ship? It's a house of cards. The Emres and Kiirilov are in this together. I believe that something on that ship threatened one or both of them."
"Don't you have a load to pick up here?" Nick asked. There were enough people around that I suspected he wanted to cut the conversation short.
"You're right. Let me see who we're supposed to talk to," I said.
I pulled the information up on my HUD and discovered I was to talk to one Haik Torigan. His location was identified as 'Marketplace, Nannandry,' hardly a definitive address. I walked up to a vendor, an old woman, who'd been eyeing us since we'd come down from the Ambassador's home.
"Would you direct us to Haik Torigan?" I asked.
"What do you have to trade for this information?" she asked.
I was taken aback. "I'm afraid I don't have anything on me that I could trade," I said.
"Wealthy off-worlders always have something to trade. Come back when you have something," she said.
"You give Nannandry a bad name, Narod. Torigan is back on the third aisle. His wife wears blue robes," another vendor said. He had small, intricately carved items spread out in front of him. Some of the items appeared to be wooden and others appeared to be made of bone.
I turned to him. "Thank you Mr. …"
"Hapet." He finished my sentence for me.
I was drawn in by the carvings. It was hard to imagine a person laboring over such a task, when a replicator could so easily spit them out. That said, their very imprecision made them interesting.
"Your work is beautiful, Mr. Hapet."
"Blessings to you, off-worlder. The real beauty can only be felt." He held out a small, carved lizard to me. "This is the Blue Lagarto, carved from its own bones. A hunter carries its likeness for luck and protection. The great Blue Lagarto is a most feared predator."
The bone felt warm to the touch, which surprised me.
"Ah, you feel it do you? You must be a great hunter yourself," he said.
I smiled. The wily craft of a master trader was never lost on me. I wondered what he did to keep the carvings warm. It was a neat trick. I found it difficult to take my eyes off of the gorgeously crafted carving.
When I attempted to hand it back, Hapet held his hands up to stop me. "No. It is yours. Consider it a gift from Nannandry to you. May your trade always bring you profit."
"I can't take this from you," I said. "But, I really don't have anything to trade. We'll be coming back, though, is there something I could trade with you?"
"My knives grow thin from sharpening. I would trade much for new knives," he said.
"Show me one."
He held up a short knife. Its blade was indeed narrow. I nodded and placed the Lagarto carving back onto his table.
"You hold this for me," I said.
"As you wish."
We walked down towa
rd the third aisle as he'd indicated. I was struck by how impoverished the traders seemed to be. Nannandry was definitely not a great place to live.
"You've such a soft-heart," Tabby whispered in my ear, grabbing my arm and pulling in close. "He totally played you."
"I know. But, his carvings were one of a kind," I said.
"Simple to replicate, too," she said.
"That's what makes them interesting. Who would put that kind of work into something like that? I think people might be interested in them."
"You'd have to sell thousands of them to make it worth your while," she said.
"I know. It's just hard, seeing how they scrape by here," I said.
"Well, keep your wits about you. Desperate people sometimes do desperate things. Don't look, but we're being followed," she said.
"By who?"
"Whom," she corrected. "Mostly children, but they're doing a very good job of staying hidden."
"What could they take?" I said as my eyes caught on a solid looking woman, resting in a colorful, comfortable chair, wearing dark blue robes.
"Just be careful," she said.
I nodded and we approached the vendor stall where the woman sat.
"Haik, come forward! Your off-worlder friends have arrived," she said looking at me and smiling. "Haik will be here momentarily."
A short, thick set man appeared from behind the stall. He had a quick smile and wore blue robes, similar to his wife. We exchanged introductions.
"Sybilla, please offer our guests some of that delicious red berry juice," he said while arranging several chairs for us. "I trust your meeting with the Ambassador was positive?"
I wasn't surprised that he knew of our business with the Ambassador. Nannandry was probably like Colony 40, where everyone knew everyone else's business.
"A very polite man," I said. "I'd like a chance to inspect the goods before we load."
"Certainly," he said. "My stores are close by."
I'd done research on the types of material that would trade well on Léger Nuage and had even gone to the effort of constructing an inspection subroutine that would verify we were getting the right stuff and in the right quantities.
We followed him up through a small gash in the curtain of vegetation at the back of the Market platform. It would be easy to become disoriented in the tall material.
Buccaneers (Privateer Tales Book 8) Page 26