Sporting Chance

Chapter Three

Her new uniform clashed with the lavender and teal, but no longer made Heris feel like an exotic bird. Severely plain midnight blue suited her, and the captain’s rings on her sleeves were enough proof of her rank. Her pass to the royal docking sector hung from one lapel. She’d been advised to wear it even on the public concourse.

“Isn’t that conspicuous?” she’d asked.

“Yes . . . but they’ll expect you to be monitored, so they won’t ask,” the Royal Security officer said. “And by the way, you are being monitored. It’s in the tag, so don’t leave it somewhere or we’ll have to do a full investigation, and we hate that.” His tone said they’d take it out of her hide somehow.

“Fine with me,” Heris said. It wasn’t, but it wouldn’t do any good to argue. What she intended to do was aboveboard anyway. She wanted to report her dismissal of some former crew to the employment agency, with her reasons, and find out if Sirkin’s friend had registered for employment yet. She would like to keep Sirkin, but that meant hiring her partner. She needed to check in with the Captains’ Guild. And she needed to consult her banker; she didn’t know if Cecelia had paid her salary yet. It had not seemed a good time to ask Cecelia directly.

Once out of the royal sector, she took the slideway past the exclusive shops and transferred to the tubetram for the ride to the outer rims. It was midshift of the second watch . . . the tram was half-empty, its other occupants a pair of obvious tourists, rich kids, and four quiet middle-aged men who looked like off-duty crew from a royal shuttle. Possibly they were. They got off at Three, the tourists at Four, and she rode out to Six in splendid solitude.

Six, Sector Orange: back where she’d started, when she left Fleet. Now it didn’t bother her the same way at all . . . not in the new uniform, not with the new understanding of what being Cecelia’s captain meant. She stopped by the Captains’ Guild, paid her onstation fee, smiled at the Warden.

“Do you want to list for posting?” he asked, his hand hovering over the board.

“No, I’m still with Lady Cecelia,” she said. “Is there much demand?”

“There’s always a demand for those with a clean record,” he said. “Lots of people want to retire here. Anything to report?”

“No.” Guild members were supposed to inform the Guild of unusual occurrences, including those that they might not want to report to the Fleet or other law enforcement. If you paid the pirates off, Fleet would want to be sure it wasn’t a plot; the Captains’ Guild simply wanted to know where the pirates had been and how they’d trapped you. Heris had considered whether to tell the Guild about the smugglers’ operation on Sweet Delight—but Olin was a Guild member, too.

The Warden’s brow rose, and he stared pointedly at her royal pass. That certainly wasn’t the Guild’s business. Heris smiled until he shrugged. “Want a room here?” he asked then.

“No, thank you. I’m staying aboard. But—can you tell me if Sagamir Olin is listed here?” She didn’t expect the Sweet Delight’s former captain would cooperate with her, but she would try.

“Olin?” His eyes shifted aside. “You hadn’t heard—? No, that’s right; you left so fast. Olin . . . died. A . . . er . . . random assault.”

“Random assault” didn’t get that expression or that mumble. Heris felt her hairs prickling. Olin had been killed . . . why? Because he hadn’t delivered the goods, or because he’d lost that handy ship, or both?

“When?” she asked.

“Oh . . . let me see.” He muttered at his console, and then turned to her. “Five weeks after you left. He had been drinking, the militia said. A bar fight spilled over; someone got him on the way home. They said.”

And you don’t believe it, Heris thought, but you aren’t going to explain it to me.

“Thanks anyway,” she said. “I’d have bought him a drink . . . here, put this in the memorial fund.”

His eyes widened, then he relaxed. “Ah . . . ex-Fleet. You people do that, don’t you, whether you know someone or not?”

“That’s right,” Heris said cheerfully. “Hear of a death, put something in . . . there’s always someone needs it.”

“Well . . . thank you. It’s very kind. I suppose we’d do well to follow that habit ourselves, but . . .”

“Never mind. I couldn’t do any less.” With a wave, she went back out before he could say more. Her mind was working too hard; he would see it on her face if she stayed. Where could she find out what had really happened without making herself conspicuous? She went on toward the banker and the employment agency. Chores first, fun later.

The employment agency turned out to be fun in its own way. Now that she wasn’t a suppliant, the gray and white decor merely looked functional, not cold and threatening. The receptionist might have been sniffy, but not once he saw that Royal Sector pass. Ser Bryn could see her in an hour; perhaps she would prefer to come back? No? Then the private lounge . . . Heris accepted this offer, and settled into a comfortable chair to wait. The viewscreen and cube reader were supplemented by glossy hardcopies of periodicals.

“Captain Serrano.” She looked up from an article advising prudent investors to be wary of unregistered companies offering investment in heavy-metal mining operations on worlds like Chisholm and Sakati. The article argued pure finance; Heris, who had been to Chisholm once, thought the influence of the Compassionate Hand there was more reason to keep clear of it. The only profits out of Chisholm would go straight to the Black Scratch. But the man standing at the door, she reminded herself, could as easily be a Compassionate Hand agent. Who were the smugglers?

“Ser Bryn?” She stood and extended her hand. He shook hers; she did not let herself glance down to see if he had the telltale tattoo on the thumb web. He wouldn’t, not in this position. If he’d ever had it, it would have been redone in flesh tones when he was chosen for a position on Rockhouse.

“What can we do for you, Captain?” he asked, his voice cordial and his eyes guarded.

Heris smiled at him. “I needed to speak to you about Lady Cecelia’s former employees.” His eyes flickered; he didn’t like the sound of that. And, of course, with the security measures on the Royal Docks, he wouldn’t have heard about the new crew. “It’s rather a long story,” she said. “Perhaps we could discuss it privately?” The lounge where she’d been waiting had no one else in it, but she knew it would have full monitoring.

“Ah . . . yes, Captain. Do come along to my . . . er . . . private office.” He led the way into a spacious, luxurious office, where Heris suspected wealthy clients gave their requirements for employees. It didn’t look anything like the office where she’d been interviewed.

“I brought along a data cube with their records and my reports on them,” she said. “But for the obvious reasons there are some details which I’d prefer not to have on cube, and which you need to know.”

“Ah.” That seemed to be his favorite response to possibly upsetting news. Safe enough.

“As you may or may not know, Ser Bryn, before I departed, I asked this office for any additional details on the qualifications of Lady Cecelia’s existing crew. I was told there were none, and furthermore I was told that private employers such as Lady Cecelia were furnished with—I won’t say dregs, because that would be insulting—but let’s say with less qualified personnel than, for example, a major commercial employer. The reasons I understood, if I didn’t approve them.” She paused to see if he had any response. Beyond a tightening around his eyes, he gave none. She continued.

“With that, I had to be content. Unfortunately, events on the voyage revealed how . . . imprudent . . . that policy was. You may have heard from Takomin Roads about the death of one environmental tech, Iklind?” At this he nodded, but still said nothing. “Presumably you also heard that Iklind was considered to be responsible for the contraband found on the ship. I myself am not sure that he alone was responsible. Surely Captain Olin knew that the maintenance had not been performed; I had intended to pursue his responsibility, but the Guild tells me he’s dead.”

“Er . . . yes. Random assault, the militia said.”

“Perhaps.” Heris steepled her fingers and waited for the twitch of muscles beside his mouth before she went on. “At Takomin Roads, I found it necessary to relieve the pilot of his duties—no great hardship, since a ship that size doesn’t require one, if the captain is qualified.” She let that sink in, too—she knew that the agency’s recommendation on crewing had cost Lady Cecelia at least two extra salaries. “You, of course, are not responsible for the crew’s astonishing lack of training or fitness—that would be the captain’s responsibility, and the captain involved is dead. But at Sirialis, most of the remaining employees tried to stage a mutiny.”

“What!” That got a reaction. “What did you do to them?”

“I did nothing. They chose not to return to the ship after spending time at Hospitality Bay—need I explain Hospitality Bay?” He shook his head; as she expected, such an elite agency would know all about the amenities of Bunny’s planet. “They didn’t want to work with an ex-military captain; they felt my precautions were excessive—and this after the death of one crew member and the near death of another. You are probably not aware that a simultaneous crisis on Sirialis made Lord Thornbuckle suspect that they might be politically motivated. Lady Cecelia accepted their applications to terminate employment and they are currently in custody on Sirialis, where they will be tried for conspiracy.”

“But—but who’s crewing the ship now?” She could see the flicker of greed in his eyes. Surely she’d need more crew, and if she didn’t get it here, she would enrich some other employment agency.

“I should mention,” she went on, “that I’m extremely pleased with one former employee, Brigdis Sirkin. That young woman has what I consider adequate qualifications, and to the extent that Lady Cecelia wishes to make crew changes, that is the level of qualification I shall insist on.” She waited until she saw that take effect, and then answered his question. “Presently, the crew consists of former R.S.S. personnel . . . I am not at liberty to discuss the exact way they . . . er . . . became employed. Only that it has both Fleet and Crown approval. However—none of them presently have civilian licenses. I shall be sending them here, where you can arrange for the transfer of skills registration and the appropriate civilian licensure into specialties . . . for your standard fee, of course. Unless you have some objection?”

Ser Bryn gulped. Her meaning was clear to both of them. He could get his firm the minimal profit involved in transferring registered military skills to civilian ones—the paper pushers’ fees—in return for a chance to regain some chance of providing Lady Cecelia with employees later. Or, he could be difficult, and see that influence vanish—and possibly, considering who she was, more business vanish at the same time. Heris watched the glisten of perspiration on his forehead.

“We . . . we are always glad to help Lady Cecelia in any way we can,” he said finally. “I hope, Captain Serrano, that you do not think we had any suspicion whatsoever that any persons we supplied would become involved in . . . er . . . illegal acts of any nature. We do our best to supply only the most qualified and responsible personnel.”

Heris gave him her best grin, and watched him flinch from it. “I’m sure you didn’t,” she said. “But from this time, Lady Cecelia will be understandably more . . . selective . . . in her dealings with you. She may be only one old lady, on one small yacht, but she pays well and deserves to have the best crew. So I’ve explained to her.” She gave a short nod and turned to her second topic. “Now. Do you have a young woman named Yrilan—Amalie Yrilan—registered with the firm?”

“Just a moment.” He slid out a drawer that Heris assumed contained a deskcomp link and poked at it. His next glance at her showed honest confusion. “Yrilan—yes, but—but she’s not what you’re looking for—not if what you just said—”

Heris turned her hands over. “Ser Bryn, even for me there are occasional personal matters that impinge on business. I assume from your statements that she is not as supremely qualified as, say, Sirkin?”

“By no means,” he said.

“Would you have sent her to Lady Cecelia a year ago?”

“Well . . .” He had the grace to flush. “We might have. As an entry-level tech. It’s not a demanding job, after all—” Not with the ship heavily overcrewed and underutilized.

“Then send me her application file, and send her for an interview. To the ship. I meant what I said, and I doubt I’ll hire her if she’s not up to my standards, but I might hear of another slot . . . and of course I would inform you, first.” That got a nod of understanding and approval. “Thank you, then, Ser Bryn. I’ll have the military personnel report to your office next mainshift—is that convenient?”

“Er . . . yes. And thank you, Captain Serrano.”

From there, Heris decided to begin opening contacts with other ships’ officers. Some of her former acquaintances in the R.S.S. would still speak to her, she thought, and the sooner she began networking again, the better.

Bryssum had always been a mixed bar, a place respectable officers of both Fleet and civilian ships could eat and drink in proximity if not friendship. Sometimes it was friendship, of sorts. She remembered, as a young officer, being treated to dinner by the captain of a great liner who had owed favors to Fleet. Now she was the civilian, finding a table on the civilian side, but not too near the windows. She didn’t recognize any of the Fleet officers. It didn’t matter. Her heart pounded, and she argued it back to a normal rhythm. It really did not matter. She had her ship; she had her place.

“Service, Captain?” Bryssum also had human service, unless you requested otherwise. She liked it.

“Yes,” she said. “Mainshift menu.” She glanced at the display, flinched inwardly at the prices, and chose a simple meal from among the day’s specials.

“Heris!” She looked across to the tables kept by tradition for Fleet officers. A woman a few years her junior waved at her; she had clearly just walked in. Constanza D’Altini, she remembered. The man with her gave Heris an uncertain look. Who would that be, she wondered. Constanza always had someone . . . Heris grinned and nodded, but didn’t rise. She couldn’t appear too eager. Besides, Constanza had curiosity enough for the whole Intelligence department. After a quick conversation with her table partner, she came over to Heris. The man sat down alone, looking grumpy.

“I hate it that you’re out,” Constanza said. Along with curiosity, she had the tact and directness of a toppling tree. “It had to be a frame-up; rumor says Admiral Lepescu. Was it?”

“I can’t talk about it,” Heris said. Constanza’s black eyes glinted.

“Not even to me?”

“Not even to you. But thanks for coming over.”

“Word is you got amnesty, you and all the rest—”

“That are alive,” Heris said. Until she said it, she had not expected to say it, or with that bitterness. But that was Constanza’s effect on most people.

“Ah.” A careful look. “So that’s why you’re not coming back?”

Heris made herself grin. “Connie, I’ve got a cushy job working for a very rich old lady in a beautiful yacht—why should I come back and get myself in more trouble?”

Constanza snorted. “You’ll get yourself in trouble, Heris, wherever you are. It’s your nature, perhaps the one thing you inherited from your family.” She leaned closer. “What do you think of him?” Him had to be the man at the table, now pointedly ignoring them.

“He’s handsome,” Heris said. “Not my type, though.”

“He’s exec on a heavy cruiser,” Constanza said. That was explanation enough; Heris could read her insignia and knew from experience what limited facilities escorts had . . . besides, cruiser duty helped more at promotion time than it was supposed to. Constanza still hadn’t made Sub-commander and had only one more Board to do it.

“Good luck, Connie,” Heris said. She meant it. Constanza was a good officer whose slow promotion had more to do with her tactlessness than anything that mattered. “Don’t queer your chances by hanging around with me.”

“I’m not. I’ll just tell him you’re involved in something you can’t talk about.” And she was gone, with a last grin and wave. Heris wanted to wring her neck, and felt a moment of compassion for those officers who had given her less than stellar fitness reports.

The rest of her meal passed without incident. She reviewed her personal finances with a link to her banker, and discovered that Cecelia had indeed transferred her salary to her account—a quarter’s worth. She called up her investment files, and allowed herself to order an expensive dessert in celebration. Her guesses had once more outperformed the market as a whole.

“This is Amalie,” Sirkin said with the unmistakable tone that meant my lover. Amalie looked nervous, and well she might. Heris had reviewed her records, and she was nowhere near as qualified as Brigdis Sirkin. Moreover, her credentials, such as they were, overlapped an area Heris had filled with her former crewmates. She didn’t really need a third-rate engineering technician.

But she did need a superb navigator, if she could keep her. “Amalie Yrilan,” she said. “And you’re considering small-ship work, too?”

“Since Brigdis found this . . . and she likes it.” Amalie, smaller and rounder than Sirkin, had a deeper voice. Heris knew that meant nothing. “But we quite understand if you don’t have an opening in engineering.”

“You have a minor in environmental systems—”

“Yes, ma’am, but I’m not really—” Her voice trailed away. She didn’t have to say that; her test scores showed it. She had barely made the lower limit of certification.

“You’ve applied to other places, of course,” Heris said, wishing that the scores would go up by themselves.

“I . . . talked to the same agency Brig used,” Amalie said. “They . . . said to talk to you.” They had said, no doubt, that someone with her scores could whistle for a job and she had better start doing it. Linked with Sirkin, she might get a job, but more likely they’d both fail. Heris sighed.

“You do understand that your scores aren’t very good.”

“Oh . . . yes, but I’m just not very good at tests. I know more than that, really. Brig can tell you.”

Sirkin flushed. In the months under Heris’s command, she had continued to develop in her field, and contact with other ships’ officers at Sirialis had shown her how much more was possible. Whatever she had thought of Amalie’s ability earlier, now she knew better. Heris noted the flush, and spoke first. No need to humiliate her in front of a friend.

“Sirkin has been aboard more than a standard year now; your scores are your best witness. Test anxiety, you say? Didn’t you ever take the Portland treatments?”

“Well, yes, ma’am, but they . . . but I was just so busy sometimes, you know. Working part-time . . .”

She had not worked part-time for the first two years, and her scores had been no better then. Sirkin, whose record also showed employment during school, had finished in fewer terms with top scores. Either ability or effort was missing here; Heris wasn’t sure which.

“Sirkin’s an outstanding junior officer, as I’m sure you know; if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be considering your application. I’ve got a full crew in engineering, and while I could use someone in environmental, I don’t want slackers. I won’t tolerate anything but excellence.”

The tension around the young woman’s eyes said it all, as far as Heris was concerned. This one didn’t want to work that hard, and would always find excuses for herself. Too bad for Sirkin; irresponsibility made for bad lovers as well as bad shipmates. But she would give it a try, for the time they’d be onstation, just in case.

“I can understand that, ma’am, but—”

Heris held up her hand. “Tell you what. According to the owner, we’re going to be here awhile, doing some work on the yacht. I’ll hire you as general labor—mostly environmental work, some powerplant engineering—on a thirty-day temp contract. You and Sirkin can job hunt together in your off-shift time. If you satisfy me, and don’t find something you like better, I may offer you a longer contract then. But I won’t promise anything. How’s that?”

That didn’t satisfy Amalie, though she forced a smile, but Sirkin was relieved. She had clearly expected refusal.

“We’ll be installing quite a bit of replacement electronics,” Heris went on. “And a new backup set of powerplant control systems. The environmental system was overhauled thoroughly only a few months ago, but given the state of the former system, I want a complete baseline calibration.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Amalie said. At least she had that part right. Heris nodded.

“Sirkin, take her over to engineering, and introduce her to Haidar and Kulkul—they’re the Environmental first, and Engineering second, Yrilan. I’ll post the relevant orders on the comp for them.”

Amalie started to open her mouth; Sirkin got there first with “Thank you, ma’am,” and pulled her friend along by the arm. Heris shook her head once they were out of sight. What a shame that a brilliant young person like Sirkin had fallen for a loser. She was sure Amalie was a loser; she had seen too many of that type.

Over the next few days, Nasiru Haidar reported that Amalie Yrilan was reasonably willing when supervised, but lacked the expertise she should have had and wouldn’t stick to a job without constant supervision. Padoc Kulkul agreed, and added that he would rather have a dumbot—the lowest level of robotic assistant—than a fluffheaded girl who kept humming popular music off-key.

“About what I thought,” Heris said. “Can you perk her up? Maybe that school—”

“I can try,” Nasiru said. “But how much do you want to risk on her? She’ll never go beyond third class on the exams, I’d bet my last credit chip. Half the work would do twice as much with a good candidate.” Padoc simply shook his head.

“Well, we’re not in the service anymore,” Heris said. “We don’t have an endless supply of recruits. I was hoping—”

“I’ll work on it.” Nasiru sounded not quite grumpy. “But I won’t promise anything. I know Sirkin’s good, but young love doesn’t last forever.”

Heris snorted. “Don’t try to tell them that. We have to remember, we’re all a lot older, and with real experience.” By real, of course, she meant military.

“That one’ll get herself killed, and maybe her friends,” Padoc said. “You know we all like young Sirkin, but—Amalie’s like that cute little kid back on Fisk.” Heris raised her brows, but he didn’t back down. The cute little kid on Fisk had been someone important’s nephew, and he had hit the wrong control in combat and—luckily—died along with those his idiocy killed. Turned out his uncle had known about the addiction problem, but concealed it in the hopes that life on a ship would straighten him out.

“Well, if she’s that bad, we don’t want her,” Heris said. “I know that. But as long as we’re in dock, she can’t hurt us that much, and we just might pull off a miracle.”

“There’s a slight chance that you may have some trouble dockside,” Heris said. She had called the crew together before giving them Station liberty. “Those of you who were aboard at the time know about the smugglers’ stash. If they choose to retaliate for its loss—”

“But they’ve already killed Olin,” Petris said.

“Wouldn’t they go after Lady Cecelia?” asked Nasiru. “Or the ship itself?”

“They might. But they also might make an example of a crew member.” She knew her ex-military crew would know how to handle any invitations to criminality, but Sirkin and Yrilan were young and vulnerable, bait for everything from gambling sharks to smugglers. “I suggest you travel in pairs, at least, and keep your eyes open. You’re not children, to be coddled and watched over, but as long as we don’t know what the danger is, you’re vulnerable. I’m not sure just how far they’ll go to express their displeasure. If you want to indulge in anything mind-altering, be sure you’re in a safe place.”

“If there’s trouble, how about weapons?” Oblo, as usual with a fight even remotely in view, looked both sleepy and happy. The sleepiness was entirely deceptive.

“No. Not on Station. We don’t need legal trouble as well as illegal. And given Lady Cecelia’s . . . mmm . . . connections, we could even have political trouble. Fight if you have to, but call for the gendarmes right away.”

“Yes, ma’am.” That with a heavy-lidded look that meant he would interpret it in his own way. Petris gave him a sharp glance, and Heris told herself to talk to Petris about Oblo before he had a shift off. His formidable brawling skills should be reserved for times they needed them, not wasted on casual displays.