The Burning Crown (Stone Blade Book 4)

by James Matt Cox

  For the most part Fallstar Lines had an impeccably clean record, even above certification requirements. Save for two incidents early in its history the company had no major incidents and Karr found those two indeed minor and the result of mishandled paperwork.

  Until recently! Over the past three years the incidents started a slow increase both in frequency and in severity. On a hunch, Karr formulated a query against the specific dates, ships, declared cargoes, origins, destinations, and incident codes. He suspected each incident would occur on a Binkor-Sud debt-run.

  Karr had no illusions that Binkor-Sud would avoid illegal activity. That House was quite capable of any illegal activity that would generate a profit. Though officially they avoided any such that would dirty their hands, they had ample tools for forcing complicity and performing them indirectly. Tools like debt-runs that were damnably hard to prove before a magistrate or Guild Arbiter.

  About the four partners Karr found two of them with distant House connections: one to Edders and the other Toms-Watt. Neither was Dinge, and neither of them took advantage of the fact. Falsely noble, thought Karr, but not at all smart. Either House would have eagerly helped the company, both to avoid such crushing debt to Binkor-Sud and by lending House credentials for the certification.

  Concerning Dinge, Karr found what might be the puzzle-piece they needed. Though closed to public record Karr found an interesting report via his House access. The report's author, an Edders accountant, cited Artemis Dinge as a very capable and visionary manager but also as a confirmed gambler. Dinge liked high-stake wagers and, when engaged fully, he had trouble distinguishing between his personal money and that of his company.

  Dinge himself had a truly impressive amount of personal debt, some held by Binkor-Sud banks and the rest held as personal markers to their officers. The author also discovered no less than four times within the past twenty years that Dinge had entered rehabilitation programs, each time after incurring a massive personal debt to Binkor-Sud or one of its managers.

  Blue chose that moment to message him so he dumped all the data to a crypcert keyed for himself and Blue and headed outside to meet her.

  ***

  "I have a platinum ship of information," said Blue before Karr even snapped his straps into place.

  She gunned the hover toward the starport.

  "If you disregard the two usual stops," she said, "Fallstar is seven days plus jitter from here. All the astrogators Jackie asked said sixteen to eighteen hours of that wouldn't be unusual, given the trip. They also commented on the utter stupidity of risking a straight link with so many beacons along the way. I said two 'usual' stops but they could be made a dozen different ways, and you could make plenty more stops too."

  "Dead on the beam, m'lady," said Karr, with appreciation, "The one place a Fallstar Lines ship could count on not being recorded, should that be desirable..."

  "Their company planet, the Fallstar system," finished Blue when he let the words trail off, "Exactly! I asked Jackie to ask a friend of his if the Warmwind visited recently."

  "How..." Karr closed his mouth when she only smiled and shook her head. "Slib. I also found... Flames! What's your hurry?!"

  With a total disregard for traffic laws - and safety! - Blue shot the hover through a crowded intersection, dodged a group of pedestrians, skidded across the path of one large cargo hover and in behind another.

  "We have to get to the port fast," she said, bending another few statutes, "Jackie commed just before you got in. There is a major incident at the port. Official duff, cargo damaged, loss and recovery fees etc. Companies involved: BinSu, Fallstar and an Imix hire."

  "But..."

  "But they miscalculated," she said wickedly, "It would have been a minor incident and easily handled save for the fact that said cargo was warehoused in a building in which the House of McReely, and the Great and Noble House of Brightcrown also have considerable merchandise and none of them are happy about it. Jackie's supervisor's colleague is raising a splash and there is at least one very high-ranking Brightcrown involved, too. I think he's there just to torque off BinSu."

  Karr chuckled at that. Though very few citizens of the Crown associated 'sneaky' and 'Brightcrown' in the same sentence, that Great and Noble house could at need play insanely cunning and devious without violating the letter or the spirit of the law! Given what Laird Luther said, Laird Fyrelm would likely consider this such a need.

  "So what nuggets of data did you unearth, my dear," she asked.

  Blue slowed the hover as she listened; the port approached quickly and she wanted to hear all of it. Karr summarized as best he could and then they had the port surrounding them.

  "Cryonic! I'm impressed, Piotr."

  ***

  At the port, Blue made her way quickly to the McReely office there. Wordlessly a man handed them both hazard suits blazoned with the McReely crest and motioned them into a hovertruck marked similarly. Far too many people milled about the incident area and grounded hovers stopped Karr and Blue well away from it. They worked their way through the periphery and into the center of the crowd. Karr spotted more hazard-suited McReelys testing for toxic spills, Imix and BinSu personnel informing them of the futility of it, several Varl officials holocasting or exhorting the numerous other McReelys and Brightcrowns there and even a contingent of Elder Guardsmen dutifully engaged in their own investigation.

  "Quite the pizzle-pile of duffage, brother, yes," asked another McReely hazard suit, "I'm not sure what the suborbital splash is all about but I do like rutting over those BinSu and Varl stapes."

  Karr uttered something noncommittal and emulated Blue, who wandered the crowd purposefully. Before long they spotted a Brightcrown House Knight amid a crowd of port workers and Elder Guards. He wore a hazard suit, unsealed, and barked orders with confidence and certainty. The Port Authority tabs Karr saw made his decision. He walked up to the man.

  "Yes," said the Knight shortly, "What is it?"

  Karr checked for extraneous eyes and ears, gave his name and whispered a code phrase.

  "Heh," said the man, "Edders blood under McReely colors seeking a Brightcrown. I am Allan Sir Worthington, Scion of Brightcrown, Order of Halm's Hall. I've heard rumors of dire tidings and the investigation of them. How may I help?"

  "What exactly happened, Sir Allan?"

  Worthington checked about. "Not long ago an Edders friend and associate of mine brought word to be watchful of strange goings-on involving Binkor-Sud or Varl, which we do as a matter of course. Especially when matters of import, export and shipping are involved. As I am in charge of such for this port, I deemed this incident worthy of attention.

  "Earlier this morning a handler mauled a freight canister. Not uncommon enough for my liking, unfortunately, but in this case there were irregularities with the manifests. No one can seem to verify the quarantine or hazard status and that's ruddy dangerous! Fallstar claims it's from within the League and certified, but they can't prove it. That's more than strange considering the sticklers they are. BinSu pulled some chains for cleanup and recovery rights and that brought Binkor-Sud, Varl and Imix into the fray.

  "All three of them are claiming we're making a mountain of a molecule and that the paperwork is present, just misfiled. Missing is more to the truth and every bloody one of them is pointing at McReely and Brightcrown for raising a splash. For pristine truth, if that's their pattern of procedure then they bloody well need to change it."

  Briefly Karr explained his data.

  "Double peculiar that, six-sigmas. Again, is there any way I might help?"

  "Yes sir," said Karr after a moment of thought, "Might I have access to your House Archive? I want to query some Fallstar incidents against the less-than-public records and any that you might have. Upon my Oaths I'll not misuse it."

  "Of course you won't." Worthing took that for given. "Will you do me the honor of dining with me this evening? Informally, to be sure. We can discuss matters then."

  "An honor and a p
leasure, Sir Allan," said Karr, "May we continue our investigation here?"

  "By all means, my boy! Please let me know if you find anything officially amiss."

  ***

  Laird Fadding kept his expression carefully neutral as Tobart chided him across his wine.

  "I tell you truth, my Laird, our partners are worried! That one of our special shipments was compromised is bad enough. That you did not see fit to tell us is a worse matter indeed!"

  "Because it is nothing worthy of concern," explained Fadding again, "You must calm yourself, Master Tobart. This has happened before and will yet again. It is a part of doing business."

  "So you've said, my Laird, but reports from the site do not paint it a minor matter! They speak of dozens of Elder Guardsmen and Houses opposed to ours with all of them deeply involved. That does not sound like nothing!"

  Fadding sighed. "The Elder Guards need not concern you. This matter is far beyond their grasp and vision and they were interested in nothing other than protecting the others at the port. Their report is already filed and there is nothing of gravity there. They deemed it a minor quarantine violation, of which there are dozens there daily. There will be a small fine, a notation in the records and business will continue.

  "As to the rest, it is misfortune that Worthington chanced to be on duty that day. Brightcrowns are always nosy, meddlesome troublemakers and he is no different. To a man they brook no deviation from the least rule in the least meaningful book of them. Once he saw Binkor-Sud involvement he thought he'd sussed out a scandal and worked up a slaver to find it."

  "Still..."

  "The matter will be handled! I sent Outremin as soon as I received word and he will be there shortly. He will meet with our Binkor-Sud and Snughblak allies and they will lay the matter to rest permanently and with finality."

  Tobart looked mollified but not totally at ease.

  "Rest assured, my friend," continued Fadding, "We have more to lose than do you. Should something truly catastrophic happen, as will not, we will have ample warning."

  Fadding then stopped Tobart's whining by the simple expedient of motioning past him to the other petitioners awaiting his attention.

  ***

  Victor Lord McConney and Dean Sir Simmons each carefully considered their cards. At stake in the middle of the table: an impressive pile of expensive, imported hard candies. The two of them sat in the otherwise-empty lounge of Simmons' fast yacht.

  "Ruddy waste of time if you ask me," said Simmons, raising the wager by two firemints, "The locals just got nervous."

  "Possibly, Dean," said McConney, raising one mint and eating another, "but Laird Varl received a hasty message and, from what I heard, it rather embarrassed him."

  "I heard as much. We'd all be better around if House Varl wasn't involved. Greater profits and less chance of someone ruddy rutting the feline."

  McConney shrugged. "I've said as much, my friend, and I heartily agree. But... Varl has the contacts as we do not. Laird Cole said he met one of the fellows in passing. He couldn't finger the reason but the man nerved him out. Candies in a can, for my metal. Without Varl we'd have no project and no profit at all."

  "Aye and that's the truth. Laird Uncle Cole is worried, though, despite the face he wears. What happened might be a minor issue but Brightcrown is involved now. They won't let go once they find something, you know that."

  "Indeed. We must simply make certain there is nothing there for them to find!"

  Chapter 4. An Ordinary Day

  The red sun of the String-of-Pearls system sat high in the sky of Azure, its fourth planet. Its light splattered and refracted through the long ribbons of cloud that wove across the blue expanse. One particularly frisky wisp of mist cast a momentary shadow across the ground below it. The shadow raced across a large terrace attached to a larger building from which emanated smells deemed quite delicious by the planet's inhabitants. One of the three people on the terrace glanced up, smiled and looked back down.

  "Hey! Pay attention!" Gunter Rene du'Charle 'Charlie, burnit!' Ferrel never failed to take exception when his friends' attention wandered. "I know weddings are a Major Event, my brother, but try to focus your fuddled mind for just a moment."

  Micah Stone, long accustomed to Ferrel's rants, did nothing more than roll his eyes. Across from him Vera Kidwell tossed her now-blond-but-red-tinged hair aside and lit a drugstick.

  "I'm listening, Charles. That takes ears, not eyes."

  "Well use both, burnit!" Ferrel meshed his terminal with theirs and called up a netsite. "I told you to put plenty of credits in Granwald Arms. If you sell half now you'll recover the initial cost of investment and whatever happens afterward is pure profit!"

  "Or I can keep it invested and watch it grow even more," said Micah, "I know, Charlie. I've been watching my investments and they're all doing well. Thank you! Now Jenn and I can afford a really nice wedding."

  Now Ferrel rolled his eyes. "Heaven have mercy, Micah! Can't you think of something else? ANYthing else?!"

  "Can," said Micah, "Don't want to."

  "Pardon me. Am I interrupting?" Ted Ionoski, long-term veteran of League Intelligence and their team leader, sat and signaled the waiter.

  "Only Charlie complaining about me thinking about my wedding," said Micah.

  "You should try it, Charles," said Ionoski, "That would take your mind off of investing, burning and trying to find out how much profit my shade shop is clearing."

  Ionoski referred to the company he started to gather information for their last assignment. He called it Ion Skies Limited and so far Ferrel hadn't found out a micron more about it.

  "Thank you Ted," said Kidwell, "Now you can tell us why we're meeting today."

  "Meeting," asked Ionoski, "I thought we were having lunch."

  Kidwell arched an eyebrow at that. Ionoski did indeed order a meal and the four of them wasted no time tearing into it. After a dessert even Ferrel deemed excellent Ionoski put a garble on the table and switched it on.

  "I knew it," said Kidwell, "I knew it!" She smiled smugly at Ionoski. "You do have us a mission! Micah?"

  Micah had the five-credit note out and halfway handed when Ionoski stopped him.

  "Hold your money, Micah. I don't know the exact phrasing you used but I actually don't have an assignment for you."

  Micah withdrew the bill quickly before Kidwell could grab it.

  "I have an assignment for Charlie," said Ionoski, "If you're interested."

  Ionoski handed him a datacube.

  "Project Quicksilver," read Ferrel. Then, "Flames! Rumor said it was an advanced mercury suit, not a terminal that..."

  "Discretion, Charles," interrupted Ionoski, "Garbles don't stop lip-reading. There is an opening left if you want it. If not, it isn't mandatory." Then to Micah and Kidwell. "Rumor says Fabrication is alpha-testing a newer, faster terminal. Its specs and construction are obscenely classified but allegedly incredibly pyro. It's limited enrollment in the testing phase and a six- to eight-week exhaustive trial. It may last longer, depending on just how much chaos the testers unleash."

  "Polarity!" Ferrel checked out what specs Ionoski had.

  Micah and Kidwell swapped grins. Ferrel liked burning nets even more than expensive desserts and he slaveringly loved besting other burners.

  "As to you two," said Ionoski to Micah and Kidwell, "I have specific non-assignments. Micah, in light of your part in our last mission you're to receive enforced leave. Your psych evals showed some peaks the medics don't like and you'll need to work on those. Vera, since two of your teammates are out of sorts for a while you'll receive extra leave time."

  "What about you," asked Kidwell.

  "I intend to catch up on paperwork. That and tend my company. It's clearing a decent profit now but it could do better and Strategy and Planning wants plenty of strong presence in Mekhajan space."

  "Just what is a decent profit," wondered Ferrel, eyes still on the Quicksilver data.

  "There's a ship leavin
g later today," said Ionoski, "Or you can catch the one two days from now, Charles. If you plan to attend, that is."

  "What?! Of course I plan to attend! Don't be doof, Ted." Ferrel checked his chrono. "Flames! I'll have to start packing and prepping now!"

  He rose, bade the others good times and left in more hurry than Micah had ever seen him use when not on a mission. After five minutes Ionoski still showed no sign of leaving.

  "Slib, Ted," said Micah, checking that the garble was still active, "We both know my evals were dead on the beam. Given my background the medics made plus-plus certain of that, plus tariff. What's the op?"

  "I overheard another conversation in the fresher." Dead serious now, Ionoski handed Micah a datacube. "I happen to have a friend who has a friend."

  Micah and Kidwell both scanned the data on the cube. Then he carefully read several bits of it.

  "Is this significant," asked Kidwell, "The failure rate isn't that high, overall. In fact, when you consider all the ships we have operating it's really small."

  "But it is increasing," said Ionoski, "Alarmingly so, at least to some high-pressure folks in DOSTRAP. Notice that the rate doubled in ten years, which is understandable given existing conditions, but then it doubled in five years. Now it's reached two."

  "Look at the conditions," said Micah, "Before recently the parts failed under a dispersion of different conditions. In the last two years the rate actually almost tripled and the parts only fail during high-stress conditions."

  Kidwell worked the numbers. "Heaven's flames! You're right, I wasn't looking at that."

  "Do we suspect something," asked Micah.

  "That's just it," said Ionoski, "We don't know. We don't know and we need to find out."

  "Unofficially, of course," said Micah dryly.