imminent undocking. Norway. He turned and hit that channel while the trooper
stood paralyzed in the confusion. “Norway. Stay put. This is Konstantin. Stay
put.”
“Ah, we’re just letting you know, Pell central. Warships might make quite a mess
of those merchanters, armed or not. But they’ll have professional help if they
want it.”
“Repeat,” Elene’s distance-delayed voice came over com. “We’re coming in for
dock. We’ve been monitoring your transmissions. The merchanter’s alliance claims
Pell, and we hold it to be neutral territory. We assume that you will respect
this claim. We suggest immediate negotiation… or every merchanter in this fleet
may well withdraw from Union territory entirely. Earthward. We don’t believe
this would be the first choice of any parties involved.”
There was silence for a very long moment. Azov looked at the screens, on which
blips spread like plague. The merchanter Hammer had ceased to be distinct,
signal obscured by the reddening points.
“We have a basis for discussion,” Azov said.
Damon drew a long, slow breath and let it go.
ii
Pell; Red Dock; 1/9/53; 0530 hrs. md; 1730 hrs. a.
She came, with an escort of armed merchanters, onto the dock. She was pregnant,
and walked slowly, and the merchanters about her took no chances exposing her to
hazard on the wide dock. Damon stood by Josh, on the Union side, as long as he
could bear, and finally risked himself and walked out, not certain whether
either side would let him through to her. Rifles in merchanters’ hands leveled
at him, a nervous ring of threat; and he stopped, alone in that empty space.
But she saw him, and her face lit, and merchanters moved, ordered aside left and
right until their ranks drank him in and he could reach her.
Merchanter, and back with her own, and long off the solid deck of Pell. In the
back of his mind had been doubt, a preparation for changes… that vanished with a
look at her face. He kissed her, held onto her as she did him, afraid of hurting
her she held him so tightly. He stood there with the whole horde of armed
merchanters about them in a glittering haze, and inhaled the scent and the
reality of her, kissed her again and knew that they had no time for talking, for
questions, for anything.
“Took me quite a roundabout to get home,” she murmured.
He laughed madly, softly, looked about him and back at the Union forces, sober
again. “You know what happened here?”
“Some. Most, maybe. We’ve been sitting out there… a long time. Waiting a point
of no choice.” She shivered, tightened her arm about him. “Thought we’d lost it.
Then Mazian did pull out, and we moved, from that moment Union’s got troubles,
Damon. Union’s got to move on to Sol and they’ve got to do it with all their
ships intact.”
“You can bet they do,” he said. “But don’t leave this dock. What’s got to be
said, whatever talking you do with them, insist on doing here, on the dock;
don’t walk into any small space where Azov can get troops between you and your
ships. Don’t trust him.”
She nodded. “Understood. We’re just the edge of it, Damon; I speak for the
merchanter interest. They want a neutral port the way things are going, and
Pell’s it. I don’t think Pell objects.”
“No,” he said. “Pell doesn’t. Pell’s got some housecleaning to do.” He drew his
first whole breath in minutes and followed her glance across the dock at Azov,
at Josh standing with Union troops, expecting approach. “Bring a dozen with you
and keep the rest guarding that access. Let’s see what Azov’s idea of reason
encompasses.”
“The release,” Elene said firmly and softly, leaning on the table with one arm,
“—of the ship Hammer to the Olvig family; of Swan’s Eye to its proper owners; of
any other merchanter ship confiscated for use by Union military. The strongest
possible condemnation of the seizure and use of Genevieve. You may protest
you’re not empowered to grant it; but you have the power of military decisions…
on that level, sir, the release of the ships. Or embargo.”